


Sykkuno - The gamer from the Mountains

by Jesan_Miyuuki



Series: CorpseKkuno demi-god au and shenanigans [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Sykkuno, Creampie, Fluff, Humour, M/M, Not too much, OC characters for reasons, Sykkuno Protection Squad, Sykkuno might be a demi-god, Sykkuno sort of has a dark side because he likes to tease his boyfriend, Top Corpse, but I promise good stuff awaits..., explicit smut at the end, friendships, hurt/comfort but only slight hurt, i will attempt humour, light angst cause anime, mentions and attempts at writing some very light anxiety and depression, mentions of blood and death, mentions of male pregnancy but that's it, peak comedy or at least i try, protective and possessive Corpse but not too extreme, real anime protagonist stuff cause I had to, self-doubt Sykkuno, slow build because plot, steam because fluff is not enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesan_Miyuuki/pseuds/Jesan_Miyuuki
Summary: “Does it hurt?”A thin scab is already forming on the surface of the cut. The taller male struggles to steady his racing heart as Sykkuno waddles towards him slowly. Corpse tries his best to hide the small flinch when the older male’s cold fingers come to a rest on his chest just above his heart where the wound begins. The streamer’s eyes are trained on the scar with an unreadable expression and Corpse’s heart nearly stops when Sykkuno leans down to place a gentle kiss on his chest where his fingers are resting.“I like you. I've liked you since the first time we started streaming together.”or The Anime AU feat. pain, deities, magic and love cause I'm a sucker like that.
Relationships: Corpse Husband & Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: CorpseKkuno demi-god au and shenanigans [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049252
Comments: 156
Kudos: 478





	1. Just a thought for now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only a test run.  
> I need some help on decisions...
> 
> Edit: This is no longer a test run, I have made up my mind. Let's do this.

Hello hello~ 

The summary is what I want this to be. I had a thought about writing an Anime Protagonist type of vibe AU with Sykkuno. If I do go through with this idea it'll be a work about supernatural beings such as gods and deities etc. 

It'll be similar to elements from animes like **Kekkaishi** (Barrier Master) and **Kyoukai no kanata** (Beyond the Boundary). 

A break down of the most basic outline of the plot is that Sykkuno is a demi-god of sorts with connection to the spiritual world which normal humans cannot see. He's a wanted man in the spiritual world because of his bloodline/abilities and is called home to help stop war and make peace etc. etc. By chance his friends find out and Corpse decides to become Sykkuno's protector of sorts. I promise this will be more interesting than it actually sounds right now but... 

I would just like to find out if there is any interest in this idea, since I need to allocate time to writing to make sure I do my best! 

**NB!!** Please remember that Sykkuno and Corpse are real-life humans with feelings. Shipping too far is not good and don't send any fanfiction to them! 

If it is mentioned that this makes them uncomfortable and that they want fanfiction to be deleted then I will remove it - our priority as their fans should be to respect them. 

I really like the dynamic between Sykkuno and Corpse as their relationship (friendship) and chemistry is just wonderful :) Hence why I was inspired with this idea! 

Stay safe and sanitise often.

-Author-san

Edit: I am going through with this idea but I'll keep this notice and probably delete it later on. Please proceed to read the next chapters :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and thoughts on the idea are highly appreciated so I know if I should do this.  
> Thank you in advance. 
> 
> Edit: I am going through with it. Let's get it!
> 
> \- Author-san


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background information so we don't just dive straight into the deep end.  
> I value a good build up in plot and well planned context as to cause as little confusion as possible. I hope this chapter explains most things and helps you to understand :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The positive feedback has prompt me to write it :) Thank you! Please read the note at the end :)  
> Happy readings!

Long, long ago the spirit and mortal realms co-existed peacefully. Izanagi, the God of Creation, watched over all beings. He was a great leader – kind, humble and virtuous. However, as the Youmu began feeding off of the humans’ greed and anger chaos broke out across the lands. After a long gruesome battle Izanagi finally succeeded in closing the portal between the two worlds by sacrificing more than half of his soul. Izanagi was rumoured to have vanished after the battle.

Dark forces within the spirit realm took advantage of Izanagi’s disappearance and started to kill off gods, deities and good spirits one by one. Slowly the spirit realm began to fall into darkness, forcing the gods and deities to escape into hiding in the mortal realm. The ones that were strong enough to make it through the seal survived and the rest were all killed off.

As Izanagi’s soul weakened over time so did the seal. Youmu of stronger power began escaping through the cracks of the seal. The sealing of the portal had caused spirits to become invisible to the eye of normal mortals, allowing them to easily cause havoc. Only the mortals containing the blessings and/or blood of the gods and deities were able to see them. This led to the establishment of the Ikaishi - specialists trained to protect the mortal realm by killing off Youmu and protecting the seal.

He was born on one stormy night. His father was a well known Ikaishi. His family had been bonded to Tsukuyomi (the Moon God) for generations and they often led the Ikaishi. His mother, a woman blessed by Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess), had weak health and the birth of her son nearly took her life. A bolt of lightning had struck the room as he was born, his mother’s pulse weak and face pale as she fought to stay alive. Izanagi, weak and injured, had appeared right before their eyes making everyone fall onto their knees in greeting.

“That child, his blood carries the essence of the Tree of Life.”

The Tree of Life at the centre of the spirit realm was the source of all life. Izanagi drew strength from the tree but could not access it after the seal. They had no choice but to offer their son to the God.

“To heal me completely I must take his life.”

His mother’s eyes had widened, unshed tears threatening to burst out. She had nearly died giving birth to him – her one and only son, her own flesh and bone.

“There is another option. It’ll take considerably more time, but it will work.”

And just like that Izanagi made himself a home within his soul – feeding off of his essence little by little to heal whilst keeping the boy’s life.

He grew up being served by many and he hated it. Everybody treated him like a God and he hated how everything felt so fake. Nothing was genuine from these people – they were only nice to him because of the God living inside of him. So he begged and begged until his parents finally allowed for him to go to school in hopes of finding some normality in his life. He thought that life would change but it only got worse. He was made fun of because he could see so-called spirits. He was taunted, bullied and often injured by the other children. Still he said nothing to his parents in fear of having to return to the isolation within the lonely estate. So he endured it all – the names, the bullying, the hate and the pain.

He argued day in and day out with his father about moving out when he reached high school. He wanted out – he wanted to start anew in the big city where nobody knew him. He wanted to pretend that everything was okay.

After half a year of not talking to his father he finally relented and allowed his son to journey to the big city – under the protection of Ikaishis – and there he began his new life. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Statistics and met Lily who later introduced him to streaming.

For a short while he was happy, though happiness never lasts long.

xXx 

Here's some explanation of the terms etc. I got some of these from the animes and have referenced the sources for further explanation if you want to read up on them :) Please note that not all things will be the same although they will be quite similar.

_**Youmu** (妖夢, lit., "catastrophic illusion") are strange creatures that roam the human world. They come in all sorts of shapes and forms, and their origins are currently a mystery. Youmu have been known to possess (to kill) humans and are extremely hostile. For this reason, these creatures are constantly targeted by Spirit World Warriors. They are also called "dreamshades" in some translations. _

Source: [**https://kyoukainokanata.fandom.com/wiki/Youmu**](https://kyoukainokanata.fandom.com/wiki/Youmu)

_****Spirit World Warrior** (異界士 Ikaishi) **are people whose job it is to subdue the Youmu. Their abilities are passed on by blood._

Source: [**https://kyoukainokanata.fandom.com/wiki/Spirit_World_Warrior**](https://kyoukainokanata.fandom.com/wiki/Spirit_World_Warrior)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things about the author:  
> \- Although I try to write longer chapters I end chapters where I think would make the best ending, this is mainly because I love proper endings for each chapter and suspension keeps my works alive.... lol^  
> \- A reminder once again that should the people tagged request for deletion this work will get deleted.  
> \- I am aware of Sykkuno's ethnicity but for plot purposes have combined elements from a few Asian cultures. The mixing of these elements is purely for plot purposes and not done with any intent to inflict any negative/uncomfortable feelings from anyone.  
> \- Lastly, I decided to keep the first note, I might delete the 'chapter' afterwards but for now I'll keep the notice so that people know what's up 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope that you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing for you :) 
> 
> Keep safe and sanitise. 
> 
> \- Author-san


	3. Home: Fear and Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a draft somewhere so...  
> Enjoy~

His smile falls as soon as his eyes land on the phone’s freshly lit screen. The ding from his phone is still echoing across the now silent room, like a mocking laugh stirring up his anxiety. His chat is going wild, worried about the sudden drop of mood, and he immediately fakes a reassuring smile of sorts, hiding it behind his hand, before telling chat that he’s fine. The stream ends after another long, painful four hours – his mind constantly running around in circles during the many rounds of games as he tries to push down the rapidly rising anxiety threatening to split open his chest. The room falls silent after he thanks some more subs and ends his stream. A shaky inhale of breath fills the room as he slumps back into his seat. The words hit him like cold water as he brings the too bright screen up to eye level.

_Come home._

**

Sykkuno remains on edge for the next few days. His housemates can sense his nervousness but they don’t push. They’ve learnt from the past that he will tell them when he’s ready but until then they should just let him be – let him marinate in his own thoughts until he comes to terms with them first.

It comes one night during dinner. Noisy chatter is running around the fully-seated dining room table when Sykkuno’s whisper cuts through the air, like a hot knife through butter, effectively silencing everyone.

“I’m going home.”

Home – something Sykkuno has never spoken about. Even Lily, Sykkuno’s day one friend, has seldom heard anything about home from Sykkuno.

The silence that fills the room has Sykkuno dropping his fork with a dull thud onto his plate. Unshed tears glisten from the corner of his eyes under the bright dining room lights causing panic to grow rapidly in the room.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep the house safe while you’re gone.”

Lily’s voice is soft, her tone gentle, as she gently takes one of his hands into hers. He smiles at her, a soft broken sob coming out of his mouth, and the room sets itself into motion. Jokes are thrown around the table about the safety of the house and its inhabitants, making Sykkuno laugh through a few more drops of tears. Dinner resumes as per usual. Sykkuno starts packing his bags the next day.

**

His chat doesn’t take the news too well but Sykkuno reassures chat that he’ll still be streaming, just not playing games as his computer will remain in the OTV House. He didn’t tell chat about going home - merely mentioning that he was going on a trip for a while. He asks chat for a few ideas on what to do for future streams when he goes on this _trip_ as he mindlessly digs through the ground in Minecraft. People’s suggestions flood the system and he laughs at a few silly ideas before thanking subs.

He’s not planning on staying home for long, not if he has a choice.

Later that night he sends a message to his friends, informing them about his future absence from streams alongside promises to message and call often. His eyes linger on one specific unread chat in Discord after he bids goodnight to his friends. Corpse’s name and icon stare back at him from the screen and he lets out a sigh as he locks his phone.

What was he expecting?

Sykkuno’s fast asleep when Corpse finally responds.

_Have a safe trip._

**

Corpse made him feel special. At first he was sceptical, as he is with all people. Growing up in an environment where people liked you simply because they need something from you causes you to be sceptical of everything. But the more they played together the more Corpse wormed his way into Sykkuno’s guarded heart until he made a permanent home in it.

The younger male paid attention to all the small details when it came to him. When streams went rough because of a bad day Corpse would always send him reassuring messages. Sykkuno hates bad days a little less now, maybe even likes them a little because of those enduring, loving, heart-warming messages.

Corpse had been awfully quiet about his trip home, saying nothing more than that one message. Sykkuno had promptly forgotten to respond because of how busy he got with packing and then he hesitated to respond after a whole day of packing because that was an awkward move, right?

He didn’t know why he felt disappointed from the lack of response, even a message asking him about his home or family would have been much better than this silence (although he hates to talk about either to anyone). The brunette sighs as he rolls around a little in his bed. He misses Corpse.

His phone falls out of his loose grip and nearly slides off the bed as sleep washes over him.

_I’ll miss you._

**

Lily fakes a sniffle, looking very much like a mom sending her child off to his first day of school, before dramatically flinging herself into Michael’s arms with big fake sobs. Sykkuno comforts her for a few more minutes, re-promising her that he’ll update her every two hours of his trip until he reaches home. She finally lets him go when his ride arrives and they wave until the car disappears out of sight.

The car ride to the bus stop isn’t too long. The dusty grey bus seems rather old, barely holding together on its wheels. It’s surprisingly new-looking and clean on the inside, a contrary to its outside appearance, and Sykkuno plops himself down near the back. A total sum of not enough to make ten people fill the bus before the doors shut close and the long journey begins.

Sykkuno spends most of his trip checking through emails from his editor for new videos, occasionally stopping to eat or drink something. The scenery of the busy city had changed to the never ending mass of trees and grass fields after the first hour and the soft hum of the engine lulls him to sleep after a while.

He wakes up with a small jolt when the bus comes to a halt. Sykkuno looks up to find the rest of the bus empty which isn’t a surprise since he’s stop was the last on. He scrambles to make sure that he has all his belongings when the door opens and the bus driver waits patiently for him to get off.

The ground crunches under his feet as he steps out into the cool evening air. The bus door shuts behind him before drives away without waiting a second longer. The small bus stop is as he remembers. The air in the small town is quiet, people having already retired into their homes before the sun has fully set. The crunching of sand and rocks fills the air as a black car pulls up in front of him. The windows roll down and a smile takes over his tired face when he sees the small girl with short dip dyed pink hair smiling at him.

“Kkuno! Get in!”

Sykkuno puts his bags into the trunk of the car before getting in. The drive is mostly silent as the duo makes their way out of town and up the mountain road. The car finally comes to a stop at the tip of the mountain, in front of a grand looking estate. The centre of the estate consists of four beautifully made buildings placed in a square with a large courtyard in the middle. Each building a fine balance between a modern and traditional take of ancient Chinese architecture.

Sykkuno gets stopped by the girl, Evelynne, when he makes to go take his bags. Two butlers, dressed to the nines in all black, have already collected his bags to be sent to his room. He swallows the ugly feeling building up in his chest before turning to the door. A beautiful lady dressed in a long sleeved dark green evening gown is smiling at him from the door.

“Sykkuno.”

He offers her a tired smile.

“Mother.”

She pulls him into a hug when he reaches the entrance. Sykkuno closes his eyes as he lets the scent of Carnations wash over him.

xXx 

**Pink carnation** _symbolises a mother's undying love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~  
> Please don't expect updates to always be this fast :) I am currently in the middle of exam season so please bare with any delays.  
> I hope this goes well! 
> 
> Kudos and comments keep me alive and sane :)


	4. Mountains: Pain and Longing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will edit later, I just wanted to post this real bad.  
> Enjoy~

It wasn’t a secret that Corpse didn’t lead a great life. He was often sick to the point where he was unable to get out of bed. He was chaotic in nature, often very short-tempered when he was young, and he wanted a way out like everyone else. He somehow got into story-telling and music making on YouTube and then one day he sky-rocketed to fame.

Not all things that came from his fame were bad. Yes, there were often days when he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his room and scream until he couldn’t anymore, but fame also led him to many wonderful people – people like Sykkuno.

Corpse had felt a surge of warmth rush through his veins that night when they first met via stream. It was an unfamiliar feeling, a feeling akin to love and tenderness – both things he hardly experienced in his life if he ever did at all. Then as time went on the feeling grew. It started small, like a small match flame in his heart, and then it grew until his body felt like it was bathed in sunlight every time they spoke or streamed together.

He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling but there was something special about Sykkuno. When the older male was happy he would be too. It didn’t matter how bad his day had gone, as soon as Sykkuno’s laughter and happy voice filled his ears his worries would all just disappear.

The day Sykkuno had cried on stream was also the day Corpse’s heart had thrown itself into a storm of chaos. Pain had overtaken his body as his eyes stared down the other man through his computer screen. When Sykkuno’s voice broke at the end of his sentence so did a part of Corpse’s heart. The young musician had promptly taken a handful of painkillers, trying to drown out the pain overcoming his body, before messaging Sykkuno to make sure he was okay. Only when Sykkuno had promised him that he would eat dinner and go straight to bed did Corpse finally worry about himself. He had locked himself away from the world for two days, battling a never-ending stream of pain, before he finally emerged back into society.

The truth is Corpse had always imagined Sykkuno as part of a happy family. He always imagined Sykkuno laughing and talking happily with his parents, a perfect image of a family unlike Corpse’s, until he got wind from Lily that Sykkuno nearly broke down during his dinner announcement. 

The information sat uneasily with him. He didn’t like the idea that Sykkuno was suffering at home too and the unhappiness soon turned into anger. Needless to say his house was a mess by the end of the night.

His eyes trailed their way across the mess he had created until it landed on the blinking light from his phone. It was a message from Sykkuno, a message that had been sent a few hours prior.

The message had a tone of light-heartedness and cheerfulness as Sykkuno went on about how we would be away for a few days and that he apologises for his future absence from streams. Anger stirred itself awake again as Corpse gripped the edge of his counter tightly. Without thinking he typed out a quick response before slumping down onto the floor, covered in glass shards, with his face buried between his hands.

_I’ll miss you too, come back soon._

**

The house is a mess. The floors are covered in glass shards, there’s a black scratch on the white wall next to the entrance’s doorway and the kitchen counter top is covered with shredded pieces of tin foil. Jack manoeuvres his way around the mess and drops the bags of groceries onto the one clean corner of the counter with a sigh. The curtains around the house are all closed, blocking up even the tiniest sliver of light. It takes two long hours to clean up the mess and he pops some ready-made food into the microwave for re-heating before coming to a stop by the sleek black bedroom door. His hand wracks against the door softly.

“Corpse, buddy, it’s me.”

No response.

“Corpse.”

Still nothing. Jack reaches for the handle only to find it locked. He lets out a frustrated sound before taking a step back from the door. Don’t overwhelm him, don’t yell at him, be nice to him.

“Corpse, please come out.”

His voice sounds tired, he is tired. Corpse has been ignoring everyone since Sykkuno left on his trip and Jack’s starting to worry a little about the younger male. The lock of the door clicks once, twice before opening to reveal a mass of unruly curly black hair. There are dark circles under his eyes and his skin is nearly as pale as snow – he’s two days away from becoming a real life corpse at this rate. When was the last time he ate?

“I made food.”

They sit in silence as Corpse slowly consumes the plate of food.

“It’s back.”

Jack looks up from his phone with a jump. Corpse’s voice sounds rough, like he either didn’t speak for days on end or yelled until he couldn’t anymore.

“What’s back?”

Jack sets him phone down to give Corpse his full attention, they both need it.

“The pain.”

A frown finds itself onto the older male’s face as he fidgets with his hands. Corpse had told him about it a few months after they met in person– these massive heart pains that occur out of the blue as if someone was stabbing Corpse’s heart over and over again. The doctors could find no source of the pain, saying that nothing was wrong with the younger male’s heart and that they probably shouldn’t worry too much about it. It had gotten better a few years ago but now it seems to have returned with full force.

“Do you want to go see a doctor?”

Corpse sets his fork down with a shake of his head.

“They’re useless anyways.”

Jack ushers Corpse to go shower after he finishes eating. He washes the one fork and one plate before fishing out his phone from his pocket. Corpse raises a curious eyebrow as he exits his room, freshly showered and dressed because Jack said so, when the older male ends his phone call with a chirpy ‘Goodbye!’.

“Who was that?”

A devious smile takes over Jack’s futures as he claps his hands together.

“We’re going on a road trip!”

Who’s doing what now?

“ _You_ can go on a road trip.”

Jack whines as he starts cornering the younger male.

“Corpse!”

Why the hell would he want to do that?

“No.”

Corpse’s back hits the wall with a soft thud. Crap, he’s trapped.

“Corpse.”

A long, insufferable sigh echoes across the dark hallway.

“Who?”

He really doesn’t want to go.

“OTV and friends - the usual.”

He hasn’t shown his face to anyone yet.

“Why?”

Now we’re asking the real questions.

“Because you can’t keep going on like this.”

Jack’s tone is softer now, losing its scolding edge and sounding a little desperate.

“What would’ve happened if I didn’t show up today? Would you have stayed in your room until you passed out like last time?”

Corpse knows that Jack’s right, he always is, but that’s just how he deals with his problems – by not facing them.

“Corpse please.”

This time his tone is desperate, as if begging.

“Alright.”

**

Toast had stumbled upon this place on the internet when he was searching for places to go for his de-stressing trip to reconnect with his roots. It was a small town a few hours outside of the city. It was supposed to have a great hot spring resort of sorts because the mountains right next to it supposedly had a massive natural spring that connects across the whole town.

Jack had mentioned that they needed to find a place that was not overly crowded because they aim of the trip was for Corpse to de-stress, not to become even more stressed. So at 5 in the morning Toast, Poki, Lily, Michael and Rae packed their luggage into the trunks before piling into the two cars to go fetch Jack and Corpse at Jack’s apartment. The sun had just peeked over the horizon when came to a stop by the parking lot where Jack and Corpse were waiting. Jack was dressed in comfy sweats and a hoodie smiling at them with a huge grin as they pulled up. Corpse on the other hand was standing awkwardly next to the ball of happiness dressed in all black with his messy curls hidden behind a black beanie and his face covered with an equally black mask.

An awkward exchange of greetings went around, Jack had warned them to not be too enthusiastic, and they struggled a little with the restacking of the luggage before they finally set off on their journey. Toast, Jack and Michael had agreed to rotate every few hours for safety sake on the road. The town was half a day away so they would arrive early evening at the resort which wasn’t too bad. The drive was mostly silent, the girls were in charge of making sure everyone stayed hydrated and ate whilst Corpse provided music in whichever car he was in.

For a short while the young musician felt at peace. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this relaxed. He probably owed Jack a ‘Thank you’.

The little town was quiet and very in tune with nature, as if it was a completely different place detached from all the business of the city just a few hours away from it. Jack followed closely behind Toast’s car as they slowly made their way across the winding mountain road until they finally pulled into a dirt parking lot. The building situated a little away from the parking lot was a mixture of modern and traditional Japanese architecture. Jack lowered the windows as Toast got out of the car.

“I’ll just go make sure we’re at the right place before we unpack.”

He disappeared into the building for a few minutes before emerging with a big thumbs-up.

“This is it. We’re here!”

The process of unpacking takes a little bit of time but nobody really minds. The scenery surrounding them is calming, tall healthy looking trees filled with happy birds singing their hearts out helped to maintain their peaceful mood as they waited patiently for the lady to sort out their rooms. By the time they finally finished checking in and unpacking their luggage it was already late.

The gang had decided for an early night so that they could be energised and prepared to explore the mountain trail the next day. Corpse bid his friends goodnight before slipping into his room and slumping down onto the bed. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he lets out a grumble before fishing it out. The brightness of the screen nearly blinds him in the moonlit bedroom and he curses before quickly adjusting the brightness.

A big smile makes its way onto his face as he swipes open the message from Sykkuno. The world is peaceful for once.

_I miss you. I hope you’re doing well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Corpse's POV. I promise the things that don't make sense and seem random now will all make sense at some stage :) I have a plan, sort of ^lol 
> 
> Kudos and comments keep me sane and happy! 
> 
> Keep safe and hydrated! 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Author-san


	5. Duties: Foxes and Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that I have nothing to hide so I took away the Anon.  
> Hi! Jesan here and if you're a fan on The Untamed (Mo Dao Zu Shi) and the KDrama Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) then you're in luck! I've written a fanfic with WangXian using elements of the drama so please go read it if you have time :)  
> Happy readings! 
> 
> P.S. Just a thought but... Sykkuno in a Kimono? Top tier I tell you, top tier...

The morning air is crisp and it filters lightly into the room as Sykkuno moves a chair to the window. His eyes are trained on the thin lines of red coming from the rising sun. Dinner last night had gone alright. He and his father hardly talk nowadays, they aren’t fighting anymore but they don’t see eye to eye with many things in life. 

Although Sykkuno prides himself in having a somewhat good relationship with his parents he’s also not the most transparent about his life with them either. His parents don’t know, and Sykkuno doesn’t ever plan on letting them know, about his trauma from his childhood because he fears that the clan will wreck havoc upon those involved. Not only will that draw unnecessary attention onto him, it’ll also permanently ruin his hard work on trying to build a normal life out there.

The sun rises proudly into the sky, filling the room with a soft morning glow, as his eyes trail over to the newly made green kimono hanging by his closet. The silk had been a gift from the family under the care of the Deity of Silk, they gifted it just for Sykkuno and the customised kimono was finally made when he agreed to return home. The kimono looked as if it was surrounded by a halo coming off of the silk itself.

He shivers slightly when the cool air hit his bare torso. The silk feels weightless on him, like he wasn’t wearing any clothes, but he felt surrounded by an air of warmth at the same time. His mother probably enchanted all the kimonos in his closet. ‘Extra protection never harmed anyone’ is what she always tells him.

His outfit consists of a matcha-coloured green top and dark grey bottom kimono topped off with an outer dark green robe and black arm sleeves. Each arm sleeve ended with a ring hooking over his middle finger to hold it in place. 

Sykkuno let his hair fall naturally, not bothering to style it since nobody really cared here. 

As the heir to their clan he had duties. Although the list of duties he had was nothing compared to his father’s, the current head of their clan, he still had duties. They never gave him much to do and probably never will since his body was home to the one and only Izanagi.

His mother’s face broke into a fond smile when he pulled opened the door leading to the dining room. The seat at the head of the table was empty, he doesn’t even know if his father’s home or not. Sykkuno had only ever gone home once since he left for college despite his mother’s messages and calls every month. A part of him felt bad, he really wanted to be a more filial son for his mother, but every time he thought about going home to a big, lonely estate he would stand his ground about his decision.

They had breakfast in semi-silence, his mother watching him eat more than actually eating herself, and Sykkuno answered as diligently as possible to every question his mother asked him about college, his friends and his career as a streamer.

He had decided to come clean about his career at least and so he told his parents about his job as a small streamer, well at that time he was a small streamer, and they took the news surprisingly well. The brunette thinks that his father still feels guilty deep down about Sykkuno’s sacrifice every time he sees his son. His mother is just happy that he’s well and alive – she had told him when he left the house that she will always support him and Sykkuno is ever grateful for her love and support.

His mother is a beautiful woman with silk-like dark locks which accentuate her pearl black eyes. She carries an aura of elegance and gentleness which usually leaves everyone in awe at her beauty. Her dominance comes from her calm nature and her grounding presence – nobody has ever seen her frantic or heard her raise her voice before. Sykkuno’s mother was known by the nickname _Queen Aconitum_ when she was young for her precise and deadly aim. She was and still is one of most dangerous female Ikaishis in the world despite her weak health. Sykkuno’s birth had nearly killed her but she had persisted even though many had warned her about it, unafraid to exchange her own life for his. She has since retired from the battlefield to teach and train the elite (the S-class Ikaishis) of their clan instead.

Sykkuno accompanies his mother back to her room after their meal. The approaching full moon is taking its toll on her body as it does every lunar cycle. Amaterasu’s blessing, although very powerful, contains its fair share of drawbacks as well.

“Still the ever good son eh?”

The brunette turns to look at Evelynne, wearing the red and white shrine robes, who’s leaning against the wall.

“Good morning.”

Evelynne is part of the group of children that Sykkuno grew up training with. She was and still is a cute, tiny girl with short straight hair decorated with colourful baby pink tips. Her strength was strength. Although her stature may be tiny she could probably break a tree if she tried hard enough. Her steps have a happy bounce in them as she approaches him.

“Boss says she’ll only be able to make it back this evening so I’m in charge of Sykkuno duty today!”

Sykkuno’s face must have dropped because Evelynne leans back to study him with a frown of her own.

“Don’t tell me you two haven’t spoken since the fight?”

He turns to look away, out at the bamboo water fountain in the middle of the pond. It’s silent for a long while as she plans her next steps.

“We can talk about this later, there are guests waiting for you.”

Duties, yes of course. He had deities to see, spirits to heal and places to be. He straightens up and dusts off the non-existent dirt on his kimono before meeting her eyes.

“Let’s go.”

**

Evelynne offers him a smile as she slides the plate of bean cakes and a cup of tea onto the table. The tree spirit, ~~the cute mushroom with tiny legs~~ , bows once more before disappearing as it walks out of the room. Sykkuno keeps his polite smile on until the last of the silhouette of the spirit disappears as well before letting out a sigh. He forgot how tiring this can be. 

“Good job.”

He thanks her before taking a sip of tea.

“It looks like you’re done for the day.”

The waiting room outside is empty and he nods to acknowledge her statement. They sit in a comfortable silence as they replenish on tea and cakes. It’s late morning and the sunlight glistens like treasured jewels on the surface of the pond. Occasionally the rustle of leaves of the flapping of a bird’s wings will echo through the room and the peacefulness almost lulls Sykkuno to sleep until the jingling of a bell jolts him awake immediately.

He stands up, shocking Evelynne who had been scrolling idly through her phone, and runs towards the open shoji. He catches the last bit of the white fox tail behind the trees and hurries to put on his shoes before running straight into the forest.

“Sykkuno!”

He doesn’t look back as he dashes straight after the baby fox, the faint jingle of its bell guiding him over and under the many roots and branches of the massive trees. The baby two tailed fox sit waiting for him by a clearing, licking its paw ideally under the shade of one tree. It has a mass of beautiful autumn red fur with white tail ends and a single shrine bell attached to its neck loosely. Its dark brown eyes watch Sykkuno like a hawk as he approaches.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

The fox walks up to him, studying him like a predator for any signs of danger, before it nudges Sykkuno’s hand with its head.

“That’s it. Now how can I help you?”

It takes a few steps back after a few more seconds of petting to angle its head towards the trees. A soft whine sounds across the clearing and Sykkuno stands up after patting its head gently.

“Don't worry. I’m sure we’ll be able to fix your mother up in no time!”

The fox nods once before taking off again with Sykkuno following close behind it. He trips and nearly falls to his impending doom a few times as they journey closer towards the entrance of the mountains and he’s a little breathless by the time they finally reach flat ground again. The baby fox is nowhere to be seen and he turns around a little frantically trying to find it when the rustle of the bushes scares him. The brunette just manages to swallow his scream, alongside his heart, when he looks up to meet beautiful dark orbs. 

“Sykkuno?”

They’ve never met in person before, having only spoken via streams and calls or messages, but that voice was recognisable anywhere for the older male. Sykkuno’s heart stops and his body starts becoming cold as if someone had just spilled a bucket of ice water over him.

“Corpse?”

The younger male dressed in all black brushes past the bushes and steps into the open space with a nod.

“Sykkuno? Why would Sykkuno be-”

Toast’s voice comes to a halt as his head pops out of the bushes alongside Lily, Rae, Poki, Jack and Michael’s.

“Sykkuno?”

Panic washes over him as the world starts to spin.

_Freak. Weirdo. Lunatic._

He closes his eyes as he grips the nearest tree for support. Crunching of leaves underfoot can be heard and he immediately puts up his other hand to stop them from coming any closer.

“Sorry I just-”

What? What was he suppose to say?

He opens his eyes to find seven pairs of worried eyes staring back at him and he tries to swallow the ugly taste rising to his mouth.

Was this the end?

He feels a nudge by his leg and he glances down to see the two tailed fox watching him with a worried look. It lets out a whine and rubs its head against his thigh, worried about the human. The action brings a small smile to Sykkuno’s face and he swallows a few deep breaths before straightening up. He had duties – that mother fox needed help urgently. Sykkuno pushes down his fear and anxiety before turning to look at the fox as he pats its head gently.

“I’m alright. This is more urgent, can you lead me to her?”

The fox rubs itself a few more times, much like a cat, before trotting away. Sykkuno turns back to look at his friends with an apologetic gaze before taking off again after the baby fox.

“Sykkuno wait!”

Corpse rushes after the brunette, his friends following close behind, but the uneven ground slows down the group’s pace as their friend glides easily over and under branches. They find Sykkuno knelt down next to the bottom of one tree when they arrive at the edge of a circle formed by a few trees. He mutters something, his dark orbs trained on an empty spot on the trunk, before closing his eyes and when he reopens them it’s with a smile. They watch him in silence as he does his thing, not walking any closer than the edge of the opening.

When he stands up his smile falls away. The look of fear and anxiety from earlier finds its position back into his eyes and Corpse’s heart screams as a single tear slides down the older male’s face.

“Hi guys.”

Time slows down as Sykkuno’s legs give out under him and the world starts to spin. He remembers hearing his name, the deep voice calling him echoing from somewhere far away, before his vision gives out and falls black.

xXx 

I don't know if _filial_ is a term often used elsewhere but in Asian cultures filiation (I don't think this is the correct term... lol what the act of being filial in other words) is a term used quite a bit yup! :) It basically just means a dutiful son/daughter, usually to their parents.

I don't know yet but I think a ranking system will be in place as time goes by for Ikaishis because power baby power...

 **_Aconitum_ ** _is_ _known as the queen of poisons and it's a highly toxic (usually purple but they can also go darker to a slight black colour) flower._

 **_Shoji_ ** _is just the Japanese sliding door._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just kept going on and didn't want to end. I should be studying for exams but the urge to write it just too much sometimes. I promise I'm studying, not just doing this lol^  
> Thank you for your support! <3
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man sane and happy :) 
> 
> Xx  
> Jesan
> 
> twitter me @ jesan_miyuuki


	6. Secrets: Silence and Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy readings :)  
> I'm riding out this wave of momentum to use it to my advantage whilst it lasts :)  
> I'm going to go study now, read well!

Hiking a mountain is fun! – is what they had said to Corpse before they journeyed out from the resort’s trail entrance. Corpse hadn’t done this much _whatever the hell this is_ since _never_ and his body is currently on fire. Why he agreed to let his friends drag him out of the comfort of the bed to stare at tiny animals and insects in the hot sun while trying to not slip and slide to death off the side of the mountain was something he will never know.

He whips his head around when he hears the voice again to find nothing but trees for the nth time this morning. Jack’s hand on his shoulder nearly makes him hit him on instinct but he manages to catch himself and instead offers the older male a reassuring smile, hidden behind his mask, when Jack asks him what’s wrong. The mountain had put him at ease when they first arrived and it still did but the closer they got to the top, the stronger its sense of eeriness did too.

The pain had returned a few minutes prior, it was small but evident, and he struggles to swallow the water a little as he downs two more painkillers when they come to a stop by some rocks to catch their breaths. From the corner of his eye he catches a green sleeve through the cracks of the bushes lining the trail’s path. He hears the familiar gentle voice telling something to slow down and the sound has him moving towards the bushes on instinct. It can’t be him.

“Corpse?”

Jack stands up as well, worried about the younger’s strange behaviour, and he follows Corpse towards the bushes with a frown. The black headed male shoves his hands into the tangle of leaves before following into the bushes with his head. Has he finally lost it? Corpse’s muffled voice sounds through the air, loud and clear, across the wall of bushes.

“Sykkuno?”

Toast has since joined them by the bushes and with a confused frown he shoves his hands into the bushes as well to part the mess of leaves open.

“Sykkuno? Why would Sykkuno be-”

Only once have they all successfully popped their heads through the bushes do they see the said male standing just on the other side of the trail. Corpse can’t take his eyes off of the older male – Sykkuno looks absolutely stunning in that kimono, it makes him want to... _focus, not now_.

Corpse climbs his way through the bushes when Sykkuno leans back to grip the tree next to him. The older male’s breath had picked up and his hands were shaking. The panic and fear in the brunette’s eyes were like deep cuts to his chest. It was so painful to see the ever-smiling streamer like this. A hand stops his advancement when he tries to move towards Sykkuno and Corpse swallows his frustrated curse as he tries to wait patiently for the older male to calm down. His eyes follow the sight of the shorter male’s vision and he frowns when he sees the faint outline of a... fox? next to Sykkuno.

“I’m alright. This is more urgent, can you lead me to her?”

This time Corpse does let out a curse under his breath as the older male shoots them an apologetic glance before running back into the trees. Why does he never put himself first? Why is he always putting others before his own needs? _Why can’t Sykkuno see how important he is as well?_

His feet move on their own as he starts running after the brunette, ignoring the yells from his friends as he struggles to trek his way over, under, around and above the limbs of the trees. He’s out of breath when he reaches the edge of the circle of trees. Sykkuno has knelt down next to another outline of sorts (another fox?), his eyes gentle and loving as he mutters something under his breath. A faint glow of green light emits itself from Sykkuno’s palm, just above the injured leg, and he rests his head gently against the creature’s head, as if praying together with it, after the light disappears.

Did he just perform a healing ritual? Had Corpse finally lost it to the point where he’s imagining things? On a mountain? Was it the heat?

Sykkuno stands up, solid and very much real ~~looking so stunning in that kimono~~ , and as his smile falls so does Corpse’s heart – through his stomach and onto the ground. A sharp pain, like thousands of needles stabbing into his heart all at once, washes over him and his vision starts to blur when a single tear slides down Sykkuno’s cheek. He manages to catch the older male before the brunette hits the ground and they slump down onto the floor together with a dull thud as Corpse frantically yells out Sykkuno’s name.

“Sykkuno! Sykkuno please...”

He holds the unconscious man close in his embrace as they try to figure out their next step.

**

“You lost him? How do you lose a person, a _grown adult at that_?”

Lost is a strong word, she didn’t _lose him_ per se – she just doesn’t know his current location.

“Eve, you had one job.”

The taller female with long sandy brown braided hair, also dressed in red and white shrine robes, takes off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose in hopes of pushing the headache away with a sigh.

“Sorry Lynne.”

Lynne was the healer of their group. As a child her nose was forever buried between medical books and it’s only gotten worse since she reached adulthood. She had been busy all morning with helping the injured in the peaceful medical wing when the short pink haired girl burst in yelling bloody panicked murder.

“Let’s just find him, before we both get murdered by boss.”

Lynne hands off some instructions to the senior healers before the duo make their way towards the wooden gates of the estate. Eve comes to a halt, the wooden gate half opened, and Lynne lets out a frustrated sound as she tries to figure out the holdup. They don't have time to waste.

“I- er... found him?”

Eve opens the gate wider before stepping aside to reveal Corpse, carrying an unconscious Sykkuno bridal style, and their friends standing as if they were caught red-handed outside of the estate entrance.

“He fainted and we don’t know what to do...”

They trek their way back to the medical wing and Lynne disappears with Sykkuno when they arrive, leaving the rest of them in an awkward silence as Evelynne serves them refreshments in the waiting room.

“So um...”

This is so awkward. If the atmosphere of the room could kill them then they would all be choked to death.

“Will he be okay?”

Corpse’s eyes keep straying back to the close shoji where Lynne and Sykkuno had disappeared into. Evelynne frowns a little as she studies the black headed male. Why does his aura feel so familiar? Who is he?

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. I reckon he just used too much of his qi this morning with all that healing.”

Right, Sykkuno wasn’t entirely normal...? Was that the right term?

In the other room Lynne sits with a big frown as she feels Sykkuno’s pulse. It’s so messy, why was it so messy? The unconscious male stirs a little and he squints against the light as his eyes open the tiniest bit.

“Wha- Where am I?”

Lynne shakes her head a little with a fond smile. Sykkuno’s always so clueless.

“You’re in the medical wing. Your friends brought you here.”

At the mention of his friends Sykkuno’s pulse picks up even more.

“Woah there. Breathe for me Sykkuno.”

The older male does as he’s told. Lynne’s hands bathe themselves in a soft white light as she places her palms gently against Sykkuno’s chest.

“When was the last time you let loose?”

Sykkuno closes his eyes, a flash of guilt passing through them before he can hide it.

“Sykkuno.”

Normal Ikaishis are born with a manageable amount of power and, as with everything in life, the more Ikaishis trained the more power they would be able to have. Sykkuno on the other hand was born with an abnormally high amount of power, and to make things worse on top of his own power he had the added power of Izanagi, making him immensely powerful but there was a catch. Too little power makes one weak but too much power causes a mess of qi to arise in one’s body which isn’t good either. As a child Sykkuno was often bedridden from this drawback. He was often targeted by Youmu too because they all wanted his essence and hence they had to come up with a solution.

Sykkuno’s parents crafted a seal of sorts – it looked like a tattoo of two fish curled together in the Yin and Yang symbol between his shoulder blades – that would mask his powers but even with the seal the brunette had to let loose of his power once in a while to prevent internal chaos. Knowing Sykkuno, he probably never once opened the seal since he left home for college. 

“We’re opening a portal today because the energy levels have been spiking more than usual lately. Sykkuno you need to do something about this or else...”

He knows very damn well what’ll happen if he doesn’t. He’s been sick lately and the tiredness lingers even after hours and hours of sleep. Some days it’s so bad that his whole body spikes in pain just from breathing. Reluctantly, he agrees before they finish up with the healing session.

Corpse stands up as soon as the shoji slides open. Sykkuno adjusts his kimono, trying to prolong the confrontation, before stepping into the room awkwardly.

“I guess I owe you guys an explanation.”

His voice is soft, barely audible if not for the grim silence in the room, and his breathing comes out shallow as if in pain. They sit completely still as Sykkuno explains himself. Lynne and Eve linger in the corner of the room, their eyes never straying far from Sykkuno as the brunette tries to not stumble over his words. Corpse keeps his hands together on his lap. His grip is so tight that he probably would have broken something if he wasn’t holding them together.

Sykkuno does what he thinks is best – he bears his heart out, feeling guilty about lying to them for so long when they took care of him and loved him like family for so many years. He expected rejection but instead gets concern and sympathy. He didn’t go into complete detail of how he was bullied for years, not wanting to bore them with his problems, but they were still mad when he finished. They were mad that he had suffered through so much without telling them about it – they weren’t mad about him lying to them at all.

Relief washes over him when he realises that this isn’t the end and that he didn’t destroy everything he had worked so hard to build up but next to the relief is the feeling of hatred – self-hatred to be more exact. He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve their kindness and their friendship. He lied to them and played with their trust and kindness. He was undeserving of their forgiveness.

While the rest of the gang had moved closer to Sykkuno, trying to comfort him and hug him, Corpse remained seated at the other end of the room. His eyes were glued to the tatami in front of him, nearly boring a hole into the material with his intense stare. Sykkuno’s eyes keep wondering over to the younger male as he tries to calm his other friends down. A pang of pain washes over his heart.

Had he completely destroyed his relationship with Corpse without ever letting it begin? Corpse looks so mad and he had every right to be mad at Sykkuno. The brunette knows and he had told himself over and over again to be prepared but reality is much worse than three a.m. thoughts.

“Corpse?”

The room falls silent, all heads turning to look at the said male, but they receive no reaction from him.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Jack stands up with Rae and Lily mimicking his action straight after.

“Yeah, we sure drank a lot of water on our hike.”

All of a sudden people are standing up and making their way out of the room. Evelynne and Lynne hesitate at first but Toast and Jack somehow manage to coax the duo out of the room as well and once again the room falls into an uncomfortable silence.

Sykkuno doesn’t know what to say now that they’re alone. He merely lets himself admire the younger male. Through his hammering heart and shaky breaths he admires Corpse’s beauty – taking in Corpse’s slightly muscular form with a frame broader than his own and his beautifully made hands clenched together in a fist on his lap – because it might be his first and last time to be able to do so.

“I’m sorry for lying to you. I understand if you don’t want to ever see or hear from me ever again but please say something. Anything.”

Ever since he was a child Sykkuno hated silence. Nobody ever yelled at him, all of them feared the consequences of yelling at a demi-god, but he realised from a young age that he’d much rather handle something than nothing at all. Silence was nothing. It was a suffocating and deadly nothing– much worse than ear-bleeding screams or words of degradation.

Dark orbs finally look up from the floor and Sykkuno nearly cries when Corpse’s hoarse voice finally echoes across the room.

“I missed you too.”

xXx

_**Qi** is the Chinese term for life energy, or life spirit, a vital force that flows through all living things - I will be using qi for healing purposes and it s the basis of their 'powers' when fighting Youmu in this fic._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at this thing called angst :o Please send help and coffee :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments keep a man sane and alive~
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this... 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan


	7. Blood: Scars and Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some action because the basis of this fic is an Anime AU after all... lol^  
> I promise fluff is coming up so keep reading!  
> Enjoy~

“Toast!”

The loud thud causes Sykkuno to jump to his feet as he rushes out into the hallway to figure out the situation.

“What happened?”

Corpse is right behind him, his body heat warming Sykkuno like the sun, as they peek out at the courtyard.

“Something... jumped at me?”

Humans can’t see spirits, right, they forgot about that. Sykkuno turns to Lynne for answers – the long haired brunette looking just as confused as everyone else which is odd.

“The mother fox spirit jumped into him?”

What?

“What?”

Jack helps Toast up from the ground and Lily helps him to dust the still shocked man off.

“A force of air came at me and pushed me to the ground.”

Okay, they need to sort out this vision problem first. Sykkuno reaches into his sleeve and pulls out a light green pouch.

“Everyone stand together.”

The gang huddle together into a ball, confused but ever obedient. Sykkuno produces a hand full of cream coloured powder from the pouch and without warning blows it into their direction. They let out sounds of protests as the powder surrounds them like a fog before disappearing with the breeze.

“What the hell was that for?”

Their complaints fall quiet as they marvel at the sight around them. Tree spirits, those cute little mushrooms, and little wood sprites are sitting idly around the courtyard. How did they not see them until now?

The world looks different, painted in soft glows, like a good hallucination without the use of drugs. They turn to Sykkuno for answers and they find him watching the creatures surrounding them with a gentle smile.

“Dreamshade powder from the Dragon King. It only lasts for about a month but it opens the human eye to the spirit realm.”

Sykkuno never knew that such a thing existed but apparently it did. He only discovered it a few years back and has been dying to use it since he got the gift.

“And the fox?”

Right, the fox.

“I don’t know. My knowledge on this stuff is actually quite limited.”

Sykkuno quickly glances at the time on his phone.

“She’ll know when she gets back.”

Sadness covers the edges of his voice and Evelynne shakes her head when Toast opens his mouth to ask who.

“We wait then.”

They chat for a while, catching up on the little that has happened since they parted ways in the city, and the easiness of it all nearly lets Sykkuno forget that he’s any different than his human friends, if only for a little while. As the sun starts to set in the distant horizon his friends also start to become a little bit more fidgety.

“We should get back...”

They probably won’t make it back down the mountain before the moon rises.

“Where are you staying?”

Rae shows him a picture of the resort with a smile.

“It’s just down the mountain.”

Sykkuno falls silent as he considers something for a moment.

“Why not stay here?”

The estate was way too big for them to be able to fill every room – even with in training Ikaishis they still had more than enough space.

“What? But what about our stuff and the booking?”

The money wasn’t the problem. They didn’t want to intrude further into Sykkuno’s privacy than they already have.

“They can send your luggage up or you can fetch it tomorrow morning? We own the resort so everything can be sorted out easily.”

Of course it can.

“Plus I don’t think it’s a very good idea for Toast to be running around at the moment. Spirit hunters are a thing and they won’t hesitate to kill you for that spirit currently in you.”

The world was a dangerous place indeed. That little piece of information pretty much convinced them to stay. They agreed that they would make a trip down the mountain tomorrow for their luggage and spend the rest of their trip with Sykkuno and the arrangement made the brunette feel fuzzy on the inside.

His home was starting to feel a little bit more like home now.

**

Sykkuno’s mother had excused herself from dinner due to her weakening health and her son visited her with a tray of food in the evening. He kept her company whilst she ate despite her reassuring him that she was fine and that he should go spend time with his friends. He could tell that she missed him a lot but she was always one to put her son’s happiness before her own needs – it runs in the family apparently.

“How is she?”

Lily’s tone is soft, laced with concern, as Sykkuno joins them again for dinner.

“She’ll be fine after this week. The full moon is near.”

Outside the bright lunar beauty smiles down upon them, her baby stars twinkling around her like excited sparks of flame. Yuna hadn’t arrived yet. She had sent a message an hour earlier to inform them that there would be a delay in her schedule and that they shouldn’t wait up for her. Timothy and Luke had already arrived and retired to their rooms to rest before their night hunt. Sykkuno had someone send food to their rooms and he even told the butler to tell them that they should just take the night off and not push themselves if they're really too tired.

Their little circle consisted of six people – the six people Sykkuno had grew up with, the six people who Sykkuno thought of as his own brothers and sister, the six people who he had neglected when he left home. Yuna, the leader of their group, was Sykkuno’s ‘substitute’. She was born with one purpose, and one purpose only, and that was to protect Sykkuno at all costs. As his substitute she was born to bear all the negatives from his life – her body was filled with many scars, most of them were from Youmu attacks, that had been transferred from his to hers when they were children. They believed as the carrier of Izanagi his body was to remain as perfect as possible for the God’s complete healing.

“Under no circumstances are you to leave the estate, especially not at night. You are free to wander the buildings, but please for the love of all things good, stay within the buildings at night.”

They all shoot Michael a look. He was usually the trouble maker on trips like these because of his sense for adventure.

“Got it.”

After Lynne lays down some more ground rules she and Eve excuse themselves as well before disappearing.

“I have to go as well. I’m really sorry for the lack of hospitality today but I promise from tomorrow onwards we’ll stop disappearing like this.”

Rae shoots him a smile as he rushes out a string of apologies. He falls silent when she places her hand over his gently.

“It’s okay Sykkuno, we understand.”

He takes a deep breath before nodding.

“If you need anything Mrs Okamoto will help you.”

The head of the servants, Mrs Okamoto, had been his nanny since he was born. She had raised him due to his mother’s weak health and he knew she was the most reliable person in the house, especially when it came to taking care of his friends. His friends reassure him again that they’ll be okay before they usher him off to go prepare for whatever he needed to do. They scattered after a few more hours of chattering. All of them were tired from the events of the day and they quietly bid each other goodnight before disappearing into their respective rooms.

Corpse stumbles into his room and onto the floor as he tries to keep his coughing quiet. A swell of pain rises and he stares at the blood on his hands with cold, unfeeling eyes.

**

The air is cold against his skin as he gazes up at the moon. The small shrine house in the forest is covered with moss and flowers. To normal mortals there is nothing extraordinary about the little cement shrine covered in green but to Ikaishis the tiny structure is emitting a powerful force field around it – a force field that only the most powerful of Ikaishis are able to get close to. This is the seal that Izanagi made with his soul. Sykkuno’s body always surges with a rush of life whenever he visits this place. It was as if Izanagi’s soul was trying to return to its owner. 

“The barrier is up and ready.”

Luke, a blonde haired blue eyed male with an outgoing personality wearing a black shrine robe, appears from the bushes with a big smile. Timothy, a shy dark haired male also wearing a black shrine robe, trails into the clearing as well – he looks tired. The clock’s hands strike twelve as Evelynne pushes herself off the floor and high into the air.

“It’s...”

Sykkuno closes his eyes as he lets the overwhelming energy wash over his body for the first time in a long while.

“Showtime!”

Her landing sends the force field of the shrine house out in a huge shockwave. A sudden beam of light shoots up from the structure’s roof and into the sky as Youmu appear out of it and into the dark sky. The growing pressure on the seal makes it dangerously weak and so every once in a while they spike the seal with a surge of energy to release the pressure. At that moment it creates a vulnerable spot in the seal that allows for Youmu to enter into the mortal realm – it doesn’t exist for long, the opening, but it does exist long enough for quite a dangerous amount of Youmu to appear. Ikaishis’ job is to gather every session at the portal to kill off the Youmu before they can wreck havoc. The barrier around the mountain is to keep the spirits in and the humans out for the night as they sort out their differences inside the mountain space.

A Youmu, similar looking to a flatfish, dives down at Sykkuno and he jumps off the ground just in time to dodge the creature’s tail. Luke cuts through the creature with his eclipse spear and it shatters into thousands of sparkling pieces of glass before turning into a rock embedded with sapphires.

“Need a boost?”

Sykkuno turns around midair to find Eve smiling at him from where she’s perched on a tree branch. He nods and she hops off the branch, locking her hands together, as Sykkuno falls down to her level. His foot finds a firm grip on her interlocked hands and she lets out a small grunt as she heaves him up overhead.

The Youmu all turn their attention to him as he slows to a stop between their massive bodies. He must smell very enticing being the carrier of Izanagi and the carrier of the Essence of Life in his blood. He takes in a deep breath, calming his nerves, before muttering the chant to undo his seal. He feels his body being pulled upwards, like the feeling you get when you drop down from a rollercoaster, and many thin stems of trees shoot out from his seal mark to pierce through the creatures surrounding him. A mess of jewel embedded stones rains down onto the ground, sparkling in the moonlight as they fall.

A howl sounds through the night – the call of a hungry Youmu. They can sense him, they can sense the power rising in the mountains and they want him. A low whistle echoes through the night as he lands on the ground gently.

“Damn. I forgot how strong you are, _young master_.”

Luke’s tone is teasing, the once hurtful nickname nothing but a meaningless phrase now, and Sykkuno hides his giggle behind his hand.

“We’re not done yet gentlemen.”

Lynne’s staff flies past them back into her hand, leaving a trail of rocks in its wake, as she comes to stand next to them. The sky is once again filled with an army of Youmu as they start flying in a circle above them.

Corpse watches the sparks popping up in the shield from his balcony. The sparks are like fireworks against the dark sky but he knows better than to assume that anything good is happening where those sparks are appearing. He just prays that Sykkuno isn’t part of whatever danger that is.

The balcony next to his slides open to reveal Toast and the older male stares at him in stunned silence for a beat before clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Can’t sleep?”

Corpse gives him a small nod. They both turn to look at the newest explosion of colours in the night sky. A loud crash echoes through the mountain as a tree snaps in half and its body disappears into its surrounding peers.

“I hope Sykkuno is okay...”

Toast’s voice trails off, his voice sounding in pain, and Corpse turns around to find the older male clutching his chest.

“It... wants to go... in.”

It? The fox spirit inside of Toast?

“Why?”

Corpse has turned to fully face the adjacent balcony now.

“I don’t know... it just... feels... stressed?”

The older male’s words are distorted and coming out in breathless pants. Without warning Toast goes flying into the air and straight towards the barrier. Corpse lets out a curse as he hoists himself onto the balcony railing. He lets out another curse as he pushes himself off and after Toast, aiming straight at the barrier. They make it through without anything happening to Corpse’s relief, Toast is unconscious in the air, but then they start free falling and Corpse starts to panic a little.

The musician gets no time to think or scream as a hand grips the collar of his shirt. The wind feels cold as they fly through the air and land on a tree. Eve is holding the unconscious Toast by his collar in her one hand. She studies Corpse for a minute before dropping him down onto the branch.

“How the hell did you get in? He’s possessed by a spirit right now so that must have messed up the barrier system but what about you?”

She plops Toast down against the trunk of the tree when they climb down and Corpse shrugs as he lands on the ground with a thud.

“So why did you two hurl yourselves through the air like that?”

A Youmu comes straight at them and Eve punches hole right into its stomach without so much as blinking. The creature shatters into pieces with a loud scream and Corpse blinks a few times trying to make sure that this isn’t a dream. Her eyes are watching him, waiting for an answer to her question.

“Toast said he felt the spirit inside him pulling him towards the mountain and the next thing I know he had flung himself into the air so I followed him because it looked fun.”

Eve lets out a scoff. _It looked fun_ , it looked fun her foot.

“Where’s Sykkuno?”

Corpse turns his head around in a searching motion, hoping that her answer would be ‘not here, why would he be here?’ – a spark of light shoots into the sky a little distance away from them followed by a loud crash. Eve remains silent but her lips are pulled back into a tight line with her eyes firmly glued to the tips of those trees.

“ _Where is Sykkuno_?”

Toast’s unconscious body rises off the ground without warning and the older male takes off in the direction of the crash.

“Is he... sleepwalking?”

They only have a short moment to mule over their confusion before running after the now speed-walking man. Eve barely makes it in time to grab Toast by his collar to pull him to safety when a Youmu comes straight at the sleepwalking human. Sykkuno’s figure appears from nowhere, looking like a moving silhouette against the bright moon, and the Youmu turns to glass as he cuts through the creature with his wooden sword. 

“Corpse? Toast? Why are you here?”

Corpse is at a loss of words when the brunette runs up to them with a concerned frown as if he didn’t just easily kill of a massive beast with one slice of his sword.

“Apparently the fox spirit in Toast yeeted the man towards the barrier for some reason and this idiot decided to follow after. I don’t know how he got in though.”

Sykkuno’s blank stare is clear as day indicating to them that he also had no idea how the younger male made it through the barrier. Maybe Luke and Tim made an error in their casting? But that can’t be – they’re two of the best Ikaishis of their generation and they’ve been in this line of work for nearly two decades now.

“We need to get them out of here quickly. It’s not safe.”

Corpse’s hand shoots out to grab Sykkuno’s wrist as he turns to leave.

“It’s not safe.”

The musician repeats the brunette’s own words to him.

“Corpse, I’m a trained Ikaishi. I’ll be alright.”

Despite his words he was actually on the verge of losing his conscious. He hadn’t done so much exercising since he started college. His lack of fighting from these few years paired with the unlocking of his seal is also taking its toll on his already weak body. Corpse seems to be able to sense his tiredness because he tightens his hold on the streamer’s wrist, refusing to let go.

A roar echoes through the night as Corpse opens his mouth to argue but he doesn’t get a chance to say anything as the ground starts to shake causing them to stumble as a huge crack forms in the earth.

“Get Toast out of here!”

Evelynne nods as she tightens her hold on the unconscious man and disappears into the night to get them out of the barrier. Sykkuno shakes off Corpse’s grip to interlace their fingers together before pulling the taller man off of the ground with him. A Youmu the size of an elephant rises out of the crack in the ground and turns its head to stare straight at Sykkuno.

“Corpse you need to leave. Please.”

His dark curls dance around him as he shakes his head with a little too much force.

“I’m not leaving without you Sykkuno.”

If he can’t make the man go to safety by himself then he’ll bring the man to safety by force. Sykkuno presses his lips into a tight line as he tightens his grip on Corpse’s hand. Spikes of black targeting straight at them shoot out of the ground, trapping them in that area, as Sykkuno tries to jump away from the Youmu.

“Shoot, we’re trapped.”

The only way out now is to fight. The Youmu’s dark aura is much more powerful than the ones' that the brunette have encountered the whole night. The timing is super bad as well. Lynne said to let loose so he did and he went wild – now he’s reaching the end of the line it feels.

“Sykkuno?”

He snaps out of his panic and squeezes Corpse’s hand lightly.

“We’ll be fine.”

He sure as hell hopes so. They spend the next few minutes jumping from tree top to tree top, dodging the beast’s attacks, and eventually the attacks come to a standstill as they land on the ground.

“I want you to run and hide behind that tree at the count of three.”

Corpse wants to argue but he knows they have no other choice so he nods once with a frown.

“Good. One...”

He feels awfully cold and alone when Sykkuno lets go of his hand.

“Two...”

Sykkuno unsheathes his sword and moves one foot back in preparation as the beast starts scraping its leg against the ground. The harsh breathing from both parties fills the air and Corpse prepares himself for a mad dash in anticipation.

“Three!”

He makes it to the tree under a minute and immediately turns around as loud clank sounds through the space. The beast’s horns are pushes against the edge of Sykkuno’s sword. The demi-god inhales before pushing the beast back and jumping off of the ground. His aim at the Youmu’s neck is blocked by its black spikes and he barely manages to catch himself and not hit a tree as he lands onto the ground. He doesn’t have enough qi left to defeat this Youmu. His panic gets the worst of him and Corpse’s frantic yell tears through the night as a black spike comes up from behind him.

They hit the ground with a crash and Sykkuno immediately sits up in a panic. The front of Corpse’s shirt is torn and his chest is bleeding with a long, deep slash running across it. The taller male had pushed him away, taking majority of the hit himself, and now he’s bleeding to death on the dirt floor. Sykkuno’s kimono sleeve is sliced open, his arm bleeding from a deep cut as well.

“No, no, no! Corpse... no...”

The tears flood out of his eyes, unable to be held back, and Sykkuno presses his hands desperately against the wound in a weak attempt to stop it from bleeding.

“Sykkuno... run.”

The Youmu’s triumphant raw sends a big force of wind across the space, rustling the leaves violently, and its heavy footsteps shake the earth to its core as it advances slowly towards them. The demi-god seemed to have completely forgotten about the beast in favour of saving Corpse. The dark haired male grips the other’s hand tightly as panic starts to rise in him.

“Sykkuno please run.”

Sykkuno shakes his head as he continues to try and treat the wound with his qi. Corpse’s eyes widen as the beast raises himself onto his back legs, ready to crush them under its feet. Is this how they die? A black sword flies through the air and cuts the beast right across its neck. The Youmu lets out a strangled gurgle and breaks into an array of colourful glass shards before turning into a multi-coloured gem-filled rock. Corpse lets out a breath of relief and lets the warm feeling of Sykkuno’s qi wash over him peacefully. Sykkuno turns to look for the owner of the sword, his hands still pressed firmly onto Corpse’s wound, and he feels a sudden rush of relief and sense of security when his eyes land on the tall female figure walking towards them.

Yuna’s hair is pitch black and cut just below her shoulder. She’s dressed in a black dress shirt and jeans with a black blazer with its sleeves rolled up. The heel of her combat boots click dully against the dry ground. The sword flies off of the tree trunk where it landed and into her raised arm as she comes to a stop a few feet before them. Her dark orbs shine like a midnight blue jewel in the moonlight – her gaze is unfeeling and cold when it lands on the duo on the ground. Something akin to anger flashes through her eyes as she sees the cut on Sykkuno’s arm. The rest of their group lands to join them and the sullen mood in the air makes Corpse uncomfortable. 

“I think it’s about time we put this party to an end.”

Her eyes ask Sykkuno for permission before she presses her hand against his wound. He winces but doesn’t say anything else as she drags two fingers across his blood. Youmu of all kind have started to surround them, all drawn towards them by the sweet smell of Sykkuno’s blood. Skilfully, she draws a symbol of sorts onto her palm before slicing her own hand open with a small cut. Their blood mixture starts to glow as she lets out a chant under her breath. The symbol replicates itself on the ground and a big wave of force shoots out as she puts her arm up and springs her hand open towards the heavens. Her Nen, combined with Sykkuno’s essence, obliviates the remaining Youmu.

The night finally falls silent as the chirping of the owls return to the tree tops. 

xXx

_**Nen** is a technique that allows for one to manipulate the life energy, otherwise commonly referred to as aura._

Source:   
[**https://www.quora.com/In-Hunter-X-Hunter-what-is-Nen**](https://www.quora.com/In-Hunter-X-Hunter-what-is-Nen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing better than kissing scars better, amirite?  
> I can't, for the sake of all things good and for the sake of me, not write pure action with no sweet stuff cause I'm a sucker like that. Also I wrote two chapters which both broke 3k words because I don't have priorities :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man happy and sane...
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan


	8. A fuzzy feeling: Kisses and I like you's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised sweet stuff but I sprinkled some light hurt unconsciously but there's lots of comfort to counter that so relax ;)  
> I tried my best!  
> Enjoy~
> 
> P.S. The rating changed to mature because I finally decided to put some steam - not yet hardcore action but more than a little fluff - into the fic. For future I will section out smut (a big IF I do write) for those that want to skip it and read the fic for plot purposes only :)

Sykkuno stares blankly at the bloody water as it washes down the drain. They had hurried back to the medical wing as soon as Luke and Tim took down the barrier. Corpse was currently unconscious, his breathing very shallow and his pulse barely there, as Lynne and a group of senior healers treat the deep slash across his chest in the surgical room. They had to hold Sykkuno down so that he would let go of the younger male when they got to the building. Yuna is waiting patiently for him in the adjacent room. The first aid kit is sitting on the table with its contents all laid out and prepared. Sykkuno can’t feel his arm anymore – numbed with pain and fear. The blood had already dried up long ago and his body’s natural healing process had already kicked in.

Slowly, he makes his way towards her and sits down without a word. She helps him untie the top part of his now torn kimono and the cold night air makes him shiver. He lets out a small hiss as she dabs the cut clean with a towel and disinfects it. Yuna secures the bandage nicely before she begins to pack the equipment back into the kit – she had been avoiding his eyes ever since she arrived.

“Mrs Okamoto brought you a clean set of clothes.”

Her eyes are skimming around the room looking anywhere but at him as she motions to the clean Kimono hanging on the other end of the room.

“I’ll have them prepare the bath for you.”

She stands up and makes her way towards the door.

“How have you been?”

His words are barely above a whisper but it forces her to a halt. Her hand drops from where it had been paused in midair.

“I’ve been better. How are you?”

Her back is still facing him but she’s no longer rushing to leave the room.

“I’m okay.”

The statement sounds weak even to his own ears.

“That’s good.”

With that she leaves the room, letting Sykkuno plunge into the raging sea of his thoughts and drowning him in the silence.

**

Sykkuno spends the rest of the night next to Corpse after cleaning himself up. The younger male wakes up with a dull ache in his bones and he squints against the bright sunlight streaming through the blinds as he tries to sit up. The jolt of pain that vibrates through his body from his chest out immediately makes him fall back down onto the soft mattress with a groan.

“Corpse?”

Sykkuno’s hair is messy, one side pressed flat from where he was sleeping on his arms on the bed, and a huge grin breaks out on his face when the musician offers him a sheepish smile. He hadn’t realised at first but Sykkuno’s hand is still gripping his hand, never once did the brunette let go of it during the night, and the skin where they are touching feels as if it was on fire.

The door slides open and Lynne stops to give him a once over when she sees him awake. She nods as she writes something down onto her clip board.

“How are you feeling?”

His voice comes out much deeper than usual, his throat dry like the Sahara desert, and it sounds like rough sandpaper which had been overused.

“Fine.”

He was not fine at all. Sykkuno gives his hand a reassuring squeeze and the action warms his heart. ~~Maybe he’ll be fine sooner if Sykkuno keeps showering him with love like this~~.

The door to the room opens once more and a flash of sadness sprints its way across Sykkuno’s eyes before disappearing to leave a blank stare behind. 

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Yuna drops a few towels onto the empty bed next to them before turning to rummage through the cabinet for some bandages.

“The spring is still there. The water’s good for healing.”

She pulls out a thick roll of bandages and turns around to study the duo with an unreadable expression.

“Sykkuno will show you the way. I’m sure both of you need all the help you can get at the moment.”

Corpse turns to look at the older male. His heart does an ugly flip as he remembers the slash on the older male’s arm from last night’s events.

“She’s right. You should probably visit the spring. The water not only has healing abilities but it also helps with the body’s qi flow.”

Lynne gives Sykkuno a scolding stare before following Yuna out of the room. The door hits its frame with a soft thud. The demi-god looks lost in his thoughts and Corpse tugs at his kimono sleeve gently like a needy puppy.

“Huh? Oh! You’re probably tired right? You should go back to sleep. I’ll leave so you can-”

Corpse stops him with his hand while trying to hide the wince of pain that shoots through him.

“I’ve had more than enough sleep. I don’t usually sleep at all.”

He carries on in a hurry as Sykkuno opens his mouth to scold him.

“Besides, that spring sounds like a haven at the moment. Should we go check it out?”

The older male lets out a defeated sigh. He can’t say no to Corpse, he never had been able to.

“We’re coming right back and you’re going to sleep as soon as you feel anything off, okay?”

Corpse nods obediently and they get ready to leave in silence. Slowly, with Sykkuno holding Corpse’s hand every step of the way, they make it to a huge clearing not far from the medical wing. It was surrounded by fauna of all sorts and all kinds of spirits were idly bathing in the soft glow of the nature. The spring’s water is crystal clear and a layer of fog dances over its surface like a mysterious figure. Corpse lets out a sound of astonishment at its beauty and Sykkuno looks away when he catches himself staring.

“You can... yeah... um... I’ll just be waiting behind the trees.”

He turns to make a beeline for the trees but Corpse is faster as he grabs the older male, his face scrunching up in pain from the sudden movement.

“You’re injured too.”

Sykkuno lets out a confused sound before looking down at the sleeve of his arm.

“Oh. It was a shallow cut and it’s mostly healed now.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. The cut was not as deep as Corpse’s but his body is healing very slowly due to a lack of sleep combined with high levels of stress.

“Sykkuno.”

The taller male’s tone is soft but firm.

“I... Alright.”

Reluctantly, he walks back to the edge of the water to stand next to Corpse. They stare at the surface of the water awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to do.

“I’ll get in first.”

The brunette turns around with a flushed face as Corpse pulls his shirt over his head. He hears the rustle of clothes and buries his burning face between his hands to try and hide his embarrassment. The sound fades and it’s soon replaced with the soft splashing of water as the musician gets into the water slowly. 

“You can... uh... come in now.”

Corpse has his back facing the streamer when Sykkuno turns around. He marvels at the pale skin of the younger male for a few seconds before mentally kicking himself for being a creep. The sash of his Kimono comes undone easily and he folds it neatly to place besides Corpse’s clothes when he takes it off. The water is cold, but a soothing type of cold. He suppresses a shiver as he walks into the water to stand a little behind Corpse.

“You can turn around... if you want.”

The water ripples around them as Corpse turns around slowly to look at him. The taller male nearly forgets how to breathe when he sees Sykkuno. The demi-god’s cheeks are flushed with a beautiful hue of red and his hair has frizzed up from the vapour to make him look even softer than usual. Sykkuno shyly looks up and his face deepens in colour when he finds the younger male staring at him. That beautiful shy look drops a little as it lands on the forming scar on Corpse’s chest.

“Does it hurt?”

A thin scab, like an ugly looking snake, is already forming on the surface of the cut. Lynne had mentioned something about using thread made of qi or whatever so that it wouldn’t leave that bad of a scar – although with a wound this big there was bound to be a scar of sorts left behind either way. Corpse had lost too much blood at the time to care but it’s not like he would have understood what she was saying even without the blood loss.

The taller male struggles to steady his racing heart as Sykkuno waddles towards him slowly. Corpse tries his best to hide the small flinch when the older male’s cold fingers come to a rest on his chest just above his heart where the wound begins. The streamer’s eyes are trained on the scar with an unreadable expression and Corpse’s heart nearly stops when Sykkuno leans down to place a gentle kiss on his chest where his fingers are resting.

The kiss is feather light, barely there, but powerful enough to leave his body feeling like it was on fire. Corpse’s heart is pounding loudly against his ribcage and the quiet _badum-badum_ lulls Sykkuno into a peaceful state of bliss. Dark orbs are watching him with an intense stare when he opens his eyes to look up from where his face is inches away from the younger’s chest. A sudden wave of realisation washes over him and he jumps back with a start, splashing the water around them loudly.

“I- It wasn’t on purpose- I don’t know what got over me- I’m sorry- This was a mistake- I should leave...”

Half finished sentences continue to fall out of the brunette’s mouth as he starts to make his way towards his kimono. A loud splash rings across the place as Corpse grabs Sykkuno’s arm and pulls him back into his embrace. Sykkuno can feel every jump of Corpse’s erratic heart from where his back is pressed firmly against the taller male’s chest. His own heart is no better as the clearing falls silent once again.

“I like you.”

Heat rushes to Sykkuno’s cheeks as Corpse’s deep voice vibrates through to the very core of his body. Corpse’s face is buried against his shoulder and his warm breath sends pleasant shivers down the smaller man’s spine.

“I’ve liked you since the very first time we started streaming together. I couldn’t understand why my heart would speed up whenever we played together. I couldn’t explain the butterflies in my stomach and the smile that would unconsciously find itself onto my face whenever I heard your voice. I was always so confused and frustrated about these weird feelings but then I met you. And you were even more beautiful in person than you looked on stream. I was unable to leave you last night because the thought of you getting hurt had awoken an ugly feeling inside of me that I didn’t even know I was capable of.”

Sykkuno’s breath hitches as Corpse shifts a little to pull them impossibly closer.

“Why?”

Tears are flowing steadily down the brunette’s cheeks as he tries to muffle his sobs behind his hand. An overwhelming amount of emotions is rushing through him and he doesn’t know how to handle it.

“Why would you like me?”

He has never believed for a day in life that anyone could like him. This thing called love had always been a weird concept that he didn’t understand. Sure Sykkuno felt at ease and happy around his friends and his family, at times, but he wouldn’t call that feeling love. He has never before felt love for anything or anyone in his life. The closest feeling he can label as love is the deep sense of affection he has for his mother.

“I’m a freak, a weirdo, a lunatic. I’m a monster Corpse. A monster.”

Corpse tightens his grip on the shorter male as he tries to fight back the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Was this what Sykkuno had grew up believing? Was this what those kids had told him when he mentioned being bullied at school? Was this why Sykkuno was always so reluctant to open up to people? Did he truly believe that his existence was not welcomed?

Corpse has to breathe in a few times to clear his vision from seeing red. He buries his face deeper into the space between Sykkuno’s neck and shoulder letting the comforting scent of the older male wash over him.

“Those jerks know nothing. They deserve to burn in hell for all the suffering they’ve put you through.”

He loosens his grip a little to move them apart so that he can see the seal symbol between Sykkuno’s shoulder blades.

“You're beautiful. You're kind. And most importantly you're the best thing that has happened to me in this wretched, cruel world. I like all of you Sykkuno. I like your shyness, your cuteness and your insecurities. I like all of you as you are. I like you whether you're a demi-god or not. I like you because you're Sykkuno and you deserve the whole universe.”

Sykkuno lets out a surprised gasp as Corpse presses his lips gently against the mark. The younger male continues to leave a trail of kisses across the seal and the wet feeling of his slightly chapped lips against his back leave Sykkuno’s legs feeling like jelly. He’s a panting mess by the time Corpse leaves a last, chaste kiss right on the centre of his shoulder blades.

Corpse finally seems to snap out of his little daze after a few more seconds and heat burns across his cheeks like a wildfire as he lets out an awkward cough. He over did it. He didn’t mean to overdo it but the expanse of smooth, milky skin had made him lose control with temptation when his lips dropped the first kiss.

Corpse moves back a little as he tries to figure out what to do next and the loss of warmth immediately has Sykkuno turning around. The musician gets no time to think before the streamer all but throws himself into his embrace and surges forward to press their lips together.

Needy whines tumble out of Sykkuno’s mouth as Corpse swipes his tongue across his bottom lip. The taller male takes full advantage of the opportunity to slide his tongue into the brunette’s warm cavern. Sykkuno tastes divine, like the sweetest honey mixed with the finest green tea, and Corpse finds himself wanting more and more the longer their tongues glide across each other in an attempt to swallow the other whole.

They pull back with a soft pop, both panting for air as they try to come down from their high. Sykkuno’s hair is an absolute mess with its smooth brown locks pointing up in all directions. His lips are red and slightly swollen and his eyes are glazed over with a needy look as he tries to focus on Corpse’s face. The taller male shuts his eyes close and tightens his hold on the streamer’s thin waist in an attempt to not wreck the other right there and then.

“You’re going to get me killed before I can even reach 25.”

A cute giggle slides past those beautiful lips as Sykkuno drops his head against the younger’s shoulder. The cheerful sound fades with a small hiccup at the end and Corpse slides his hands up the brunette’s sides to wrap around him in a hug.

“I take it that the feeling is mutual then?”

Right, Sykkuno didn’t give him an answer before straight up attacking him. He lets out an embarrassed whine against Corpse's neck and the deep rumble he gets in return only serves to make his face flush darker.

“Yeah...”

Corpse really shouldn’t but Sykkuno’s just too cute when he’s embarrassed.

“I want to hear you say it Kkuno.”

The older male scolds him gently for teasing and Corpse waits patiently as the brunette buries his face deeper into his neck.

“I like you too.”

Sykkuno peeks up shyly with big doe eyes and this time Corpse lets himself be selfish as he moves one of his hands to hold the other’s chin.

“Can I kiss you?”

A shy nod is what he gets and those lips part obediently for him when Corpse leans down. The kiss is slower this time, not as rough but still as desperate, and Sykkuno moans when Corpse bites down lightly to pull his top lip before releasing it and peppering it with kitten licks.

One of Corpse’s large hands trail up to hold Sykkuno’s cheek as they continue their heated battle of tongues. Corpse continues to leave a trail of open mouthed kisses down Sykkuno’s jaw and neck when they part and the streamer has to lean himself against the other to not collapse into the water. The brunette lets out a high whine as Corpse bites down near his nape and sucks. The younger male soothes the now purple patch of skin with a few pecks and smirks as he leans back to admire his work.

“Did you just-”

Sykkuno moves his hand to his neck and presses down on the saliva covered mark gently when he finds it. A jolt of pleasure and pain rushes through his body and he lets out a defeated sigh.

“They’ll see it.”

Corpse hums as he presses his lips against Sykkuno's forehead affectionately.

“Let them see. Let them see and let them know that you belong to me and me only.”

The possessive act of affection makes Sykkuno fuzzy ~~and he realises with a little bit of horror that he might actually be developing some weird fetish because of Corpse~~.

“So that they know I have a possessive, childish boyfriend?”

Boyfriend. The word rolls off of Sykkuno’s tongue like a spell and he relishes in the feeling of the word. Corpse’s breath hitches and his voice is nearly too deep to be real as he leans down to whisper in Sykkuno’s ear.

“Don’t tempt me. I’m already at the edge as it is.”

Teasing isn’t fun when you’re the one being teased but teasing is _so much fun_ when your boyfriend is Corpse.

“What if I want to see you lose it?”

Corpse actually lets out a low growl this time and Sykkuno’s breathing picks up at the sound.

“Kkuno spare me.”

Sykkuno hides his smile behind his hand with a chuckle.

“Okay, okay, but just for now.”

Eventually they get out of the water but they remain cuddled near the side of the spring until the sun sets whispering sweet nothings and exchanging stolen kisses all the while. Their friends don’t say anything when they join for dinner but their smug smiles are more than enough teasing for poor Sykkuno as he spends the whole evening avoiding everyone’s gazes. Corpse’s hand never leaves Sykkuno’s waist as he blatantly ignores their teasing looks.

The moon smiles down brightly at them from the sky and for the first time in his life Sykkuno truly feels happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this cause I had a lot of fun writing this vision into words... 
> 
> I need some help with decisions. Do y'all want to know the backstory between Sykkuno and OC character Yuna or should I like try and carry on with the main plot instead? I can write both ways but I need to know which to go cause both will need a careful amount of planning... *le sigh 
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man happy and sane~ 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	9. Monochrome: Good and Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot needs to happen now or else you'll end up with a never ending fic because wow I don't know how to properly cut chapters sometimes ^  
> Warnings of some mentions of dead people/gods/deities/spirits but nothing too explicit. Sorry if this came randomly and makes you cringe in horror but I promise it's only for one line.  
> Enjoy~
> 
> P.S. More Anime stuff cause that's the AU you signed up for :)
> 
> Edit: I was so busy editing that I forgot about explanations... Please go check out the now added explanation for Nen in chapter 7 if you were confused about what that was :)

Yuna drops the papers onto the table with a sigh before leaning back in her seat. The six of them have been gathered in the meeting room since this morning. The clouds outside are turning darker with each passing minute – the rising warning of a big storm.

“We need to find the source of the problem and eliminate it as soon as possible. The seal can’t take much more damage at this rate.”

There are dark bags under her eyes and her voice sounds utterly defeated as she leans forward to rest her chin on her intertwined hands.

“I got wind of some very interesting information the other day.”

The winds outside have picked up, ruffling the leaves violently as they pass by.

“Apparently, Hakai’s behind all of this mess.”

Luke whips his head around at the name. His blue eyes look tense and his knuckles turn white as he pulls his hands into fists.

“The half-breed?”

Sykkuno lets out a confused sound as the atmosphere in the room becomes grim.

“Who’s Hakai?”

The sound of robes shuffling fills the room as the four of them fidget uncomfortably for a beat. Yuna’s eyes are trained on the darken clouds outside as if uninterested in the conversation.

“He’s a madman that one. He had showed up last year at the annual gathering and managed to single-handedly kill off quite a number of our Ikaishis like some drunken psycho. He said something about wanting to open the portal and destroy all humans. At the time we thought he was just crazy but since then the energy spikes have been happening more often.”

Usually Sykkuno would be obligated to show up to these meetings. He would be seated at the right hand side of his father and be forced to sit through hours and hours of boring reports and stats but he hasn’t been to any of them since he moved to the city.

“We later found out that he was half-Youmu, half-human. It looks as if he grew up with quite a rough history as well. His mother, the human, had died giving birth to him and his father, the Youmu, had been killed a year right after his birth by some or other Ikaishi. He was forced to remain in the mortal realm and grew up being bullied by other children for being different.”

Same experiences, different situations. The one was a demi-god worshipped by many although bullied by some and the other was a half-Youmu hated by all and loved by none.

“We’ve been trying to track his location for almost half a year now but we just can’t seem find him.”

This person doesn’t sound easy to handle if Sykkuno has read between the lines correctly. As a half-human he would be able to blend in with others just fine but as a half-Youmu he would also possess the power to kill and destroy just as easily.

“I fear it but it seems that his end goal is you, Sykkuno.”

Yuna’s gaze is hard and the intensity of it makes Sykkuno squirm a little in his seat.

“If he gets rid of Izanagi then the seal will break easily. What better time than now to get rid of Izanagi? He’s at His weakest and Hakai only seems to be growing stronger with each passing day.”

Izanagi is healing – Sykkuno can feel the rising power within him as each month progresses – but the process is slow and it happens very little at a time to honour the promise of keeping Sykkuno’s life.

“How do we stop him? Are we even able to take him down?”

Youmu’s energies are very strong as it is and the rise in their powers comes easily in the human world. As creatures of the dark they feed off of the negative emotions of people to gain power and negativity comes easily in this modern day world filled with fear and anxiety.

Yuna’s eyes skim over Sykkuno with a curious gaze before coming to a stop at his face. She seems conflicted about something but nobody dares to speak as she marinates in her thoughts.

“I need a little bit more time.”

The meeting gets dismissed and they scatter to their respective duties. Evelynne drags Sykkuno away from the room, asking him to help her prepare the room for the spirits to hide in from the upcoming storm, and he leaves reluctantly with linger eyes on Yuna.

Corpse doesn’t flinch as she slides down onto the floor next to him by the hallway leading to the courtyard. The dark headed male is dressed in a dark grey kimono and his eyes are staring blankly at the sky.

“Were you expecting me?”

She leans back against her hands and closes her eyes as a breeze passes by. Corpse doesn’t look away from the dark clouds as he answers her question.

“I knew you would come find me since the day we met in the medical wing. Your curious eyes as you saw me that day told me that you discovered something which nobody else knows of.”

She lets out a hum, a smile finally gracing over her ice cold features, and she lies down onto the wooden floor with a soft thud.

“You’re a clever one aren’t you. I can see why Sykkuno is so fond of you.”

Corpse knows that she set them up for a confession scene at the spring. The sly ones are never the loud ones.

“Cut to the chase. Am I dying?”

He hasn’t told Sykkuno but Lynne was very concerned about the report on his health the other day. He had made her swear that she wouldn’t tell his boyfriend but things aren’t looking very pretty at the moment. Apparently the qi in his body is twice as messy as Sykkuno’s and they don't know why.

“Izanagi has, ah well... had, a wife – her name was Izanami. They were a very happy couple – they loved each other deeply. However, all tales come to an end, even the tale of the two most powerful kamis. Izanami died giving birth to her last son, Kagutsuchi. Izanagi had gone to the underworld in search of his dead wife – unable to give up on her even after death.”

The silence prompts Corpse to turn and look at her. Yuna’s eyes look far away as if recalling a distant memory of something.

“What Izanagi found in the underworld was not the once beautiful, fair maiden he had married but the rotting body of his wife filled with maggots. He had ran, horrified by her appearance, and she had chased after him in a fury to try and force him to stay in the underworld with her.”

She sits up to look at him and her dark, slightly blue, orbs send an eerie shiver down his spine when their eyes meet.

“It was rumoured that Izanami sent a part of her soul out from the underworld in search of her husband and when Izanagi created the seal that part of her soul had escaped into the mortal realm.”

Corpse doesn’t know what to say as the other turns to look up at the sky.

“I believe that you’re the container of her soul.”

A clap of thunder echoes from the distance. The soft pitter patter of rain strums itself alive as it hits the ground in a drizzle.

“She loves him but she hates him for leaving her when she needed him the most. If the piece of her soul inside of you continues to grow as it is doing right now, you’ll die.”

Corpse closes his eyes as he lets out a shaky breath.

“How long do I have?”

Yuna dusts herself off as she stands up.

“I don’t know about removing it because a kami’s soul is not something you can easily mess with but there’s a way to slow down the process though.”

Corpse looks up at her as she backs a little away from the edge to take shelter from the rain.

“I don’t do such but I’m offering to train you. If you can control the qi in your body then you can slow down the process with positive energy. Ever heard of Yin and Yang? It’s something similar to that. By creating a balance of opposing energies within your body you will be able to reach a state of equilibrium at some stage.”

Corpse considers her offer for a moment and she takes the time to fix her hair.

“You’ll also be able to protect Sykkuno better...”

Her voice sounds somewhat pained and her eyes turn soft as she stares out at the now pouring rain.

“I won’t always be there to save his stupid self.”

They got lucky the other night. If Yuna hadn’t made it in time then they would have probably been crushed to death.

“I’ll do it, but this stays between us. Sykkuno will not hear a peep about it.”

She shrugs as he gets up as well.

“I have many secrets carved deep into my soul.”

Plus she doubts he even wants to see her after that incident. It was a pretty vicious fight.

“Meet me at ten tomorrow morning. I don’t do sissies so you better keep up.”

Corpse lets out an amused huff of air.

“Don’t underestimate me old lady.”

Her laughter echoes across the hallway and into the rainy land as she waves a dismissive hand back at him before disappearing behind the bend.

**

Corpse’s face breaks out into a huge smile as a pair of arms snake their way around his waist. Sykkuno lets out a drawn-out sigh as he buries his face between his boyfriend’s shoulders. The young musician had been studying the painting hanging on the wall of the living room area part of Sykkuno’s bedroom when the brunette finally returned from his duties for the day.

“Tired?”

He feels the hum against his back and turns around to hug Sykkuno properly.

“I think a nap will do just the trick.”

Corpse pulls him gently towards the centre of the living room. Sykkuno’s bedroom was probably the biggest room in the house with a fully functioning mini kitchen and living room area connected to the en suite and his actual bedroom. The living room consisted of a big dent in the centre where a couch was situated like a second bed.

They take a minute to settle comfortably and Sykkuno lets out a content sigh, curling further into himself, as Corpse runs his fingers through his silky brown locks. The pitter patter of the rain combined with the younger male’s magical head scratches almost lulls him to sleep. Corpse’s words are soft as his hand comes to a stop in Sykkuno’s hair.

“How would you feel if I were to just disappear one day?”

The words hit him like a blizzard and Sykkuno shoots up to look at Corpse.

“Corpse, what’s wrong? Why are you asking me this?”

The frantic look in the streamer’s eyes pain him as he takes a hold of Sykkuno’s hands.

“Nothing. Sorry. That was very random of me, wasn’t it?”

Sykkuno’s frown doesn’t fall away and Corpse lifts one of his hands to place a gentle kiss against his palm in an attempt to calm his boyfriend down.

“I don’t know if you know but I don’t exactly have the best history with happiness. I suffer from chronic illnesses and often times I become so depressed I can’t get out of bed.”

Sykkuno lifts his other hand up to cup Corpse’s face between his warm palms.

“From now on you won’t be alone. I’ll be there every step of the way for you Corpse because I like everything about you too. I like all of you – even the worst of you.”

Sykkuno freaks out a little a single tear rolls down Corpse’s cheek. The younger male has always been tough – never panicking and always so sure of any situation. This act of vulnerability throws Sykkuno to the other end of the spectrum completely. Usually he was the one crying not the on comforting the crying.

A soft, wet laugh makes the brunette relax a little as he stops failing his arms around in a mad attempt to figure out what to do.

“Thank you, Sykkuno.”

The older male offers him a peck on the cheek in response and they break out into a soft fit of giggles as the rain slows to a stop outside.

**

Ten a.m. finds Corpse waiting in front of the gate of the estate alone. He curses as he pulls out his phone to check the time again. Yuna doesn’t seem like the type to not keep her words.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

The dark haired male nearly punches her and she dodges his hand with ease as a grin breaks out over her face.

“Aggressive much.”

Corpse lets out a scowl as he turns around to face her.

“Dodgy much.”

She barks out a laugh before motioning for him to follow her. He does his best to keep up with Yuna as she glides past trees with practiced ease down the mountain side. They slip and slide for a while until the trees clear to give way to a small cottage next to a waterfall.

Yuna places two fingers to her lips and blows out a strong whistle when they come to a stop by the edge of the water. A black Koi fish ~~looking very much like a blob of black ink~~ the size of a small whale jumps out of the water, startling Corpse as the splashes of water rain down on them softly.

“Meet Sakkaku – my spiritual partner in crime.”

The Koi swims around the small pond gracefully as Yuna motions to it.

“Sakkaku has the power to create another dimension – one where time slows down until it seems to be at a complete standstill. We’ll be training there instead to reach optimal results and to not make the others suspect or misunderstand our interactions.”

Corpse nods at her explanation – misunderstandings are the evilest of evils. Best friend and boyfriend disappearing for long periods of time for days on end? Not a good combination.

An evil grin finds its way onto Yuna’s delicate features and Corpse dreads for his life as she advances on him like a predator.

“Surprises can be fun. Don’t worry and don’t think too much about it.”

His gaze turns into a haze of colours as she grabs him and pushes him over the edge of the pond. He hits the water but he remains dry as the world becomes pitch black around him. He gets thrown out of the darkness suddenly and lands painfully on his bottom at the edge of the pond besides a smiling Yuna. The place looks exactly the same expect everything is painted in a dull grey colour like an old movie from way back when.

“The fun has only just begun!”

Corpse spends the next few days learning how to meditate under the harsh splash of the waterfall.

“You need to first become in tune with your qi before you can control and manifest it. Plus, you’re still recovering so I’ll be nice for now.”

The young musician has never been more frustrated in his life until now. He can sense it, the small ball of energy pulsing alive at his core, but he just can’t seem to become one with it.

“It’s like it’s refusing to come to me.”

Corpse lets out a frustrated sigh as he towels his hair dry. Yuna is lazing around on the porch of the cottage with her one leg dangling off the edge.

“It’s because there’s two energies running through your body right now. Izanami’s energy is trying to counter yours so that it can exist in peace.”

Corpse continues to try and fail for the next few days until one morning he finally succeeds. He truly feels alive for once as a rush of euphoria pours through his veins. His senses become more heightened and he feels the movements of the mountain like they’re his very own when he finally touches base with his qi. So this is what it feels like to be enlightened by life’s energy.

Corpse opens his eyes to find to Yuna slow clapping her way towards the edge of the pond with a small smile.

“Congratulations. Now I can finally whoop you into shape without worrying about killing you by accident.”

Despite her words she still makes him continue to meditate for the next week. Slowly, as each day passes in a haze, Corpse can feel the rapidly rising build of his own energy in his body – a warmth that counters the bone-chilling cold of Izanami’s force within him.

“There’s a set of traps set up in these woods which I used to train with. That’s your next task. We’re not doing any physical combat until you can go through the course and hit every target I’ve placed in it.”

Every twist and bend of the roots of the trees catches Corpse’s feet to make him stumble and he nearly falls to death a few times on his first attempt at the course. Yuna had handed him a simple wooden bow with a batch of arrows when they arrived at the start of the course which he was to use for the target hitting part.

“I’ve never done archery before.”

He’s a musician not a fighter.

“Never too late to learn.”

She pats him on the back before motioning to the row of targets awaiting him before the course.

“A firm grip, a good aim and some decent determination is all you need to start.”

Yuna discovers with a glee that Corpse is a natural. If the younger male had started training from childhood like all Ikaishis do then he would have probably been good enough to be an S-ranker already. The truth is she never expected him to succeed in finding his qi. It was already hard enough for an adult mortal turned Ikaishi to do so but Corpse was not only trying to attempt a near impossible mission he was also doing it whilst fighting the soul of a kami. To nobody’s surprise he masters the bow and arrow in a few weeks and manages to slay the course within a month or so. The last arrow hits its bullseye on the circle wooden target and sends it swinging in the air as he comes to a stop before Yuna. There’s a proud smirk on his face as he straightens up from catching his breath and she rolls her eyes fondly in return.

“That good enough for you, sensei?”

The nickname started off as a way to tease her and irritate her but it stuck to them after a while and now it’s just a thing.

“Not too bad. I can try and live with these results.”

She’s one of the best, if not the best after Sykkuno, Ikaishis of their generation and so naturally she would also want to train out a powerful disciple. Their combat training starts the next day and Corpse finds himself immediately hooked by the rush of adrenaline that takes over him every time they train. Fighting with Yuna was like a pleasant drug without the harm ~~except for when she sends him flying onto the floor with her kicks but that’s beside the point~~ and the feeling of accomplishment after each practice session almost turns him into a new man. Who knew training to keep you alive could be so enticing?

The younger male surges forward as he tries to hit her with his bokken. Her triumphant smirk forces out a curse from his mouth as she dodges his attempt elegantly before bringing her own bokken to a stop with its sharp tip just inches away from his throat.

“Nice try kiddo.”

He plops down onto the porch with a sigh as the comforting breeze rustles the grass around the cottage.

“I was so close.”

She laughs and offers him a bottle of water as she sits down beside him. He takes it with thanks before downing half the bottle in one go. Since the weather got warmer – Corpse really doesn’t know how this alternative universe thing works because it feels like they’ve been through two seasons now but in the real world it’s apparently only been a few minutes minute, not even? – Yuna has also started to not try and kill herself with long sleeve shirts. Whenever they train she opts for a tank top and joggers to allow for better movement and the first time she took off her jacket Corpse was shocked at the amount of scars lining her shoulder and biceps. Even now, after nearly a month of seeing her scar-filled skin, he still finds his eyes linger to the dark brown lines of pain with an incomprehensible feeling each time.

“Did it hurt?”

Maybe it’s the rush of adrenaline still running through his veins. Maybe it’s the better part of his curiosity. But Corpse doesn’t know how the words slip out of his mouth. He opens his mouth – an apology on the tip of his tongue – but he says nothing as she watches the gentle swish of the pond's water like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t the one that suffered the pain. I only ever suffered the healing bit.”

Corpse presses his lips into a tight line as he sits up slowly.

“Are they... Sykkuno’s?”

Corpse misses Sykkuno. He finds his mind constantly wandering to his boyfriend as he trains each day and one of the biggest driving forces for him to finish this as soon as possible is the knowledge that he will get to see that beautiful smile ~~and maybe taste those wonderful lips again~~ after they finally return to the normal world.

He takes her silence as a yes and the sudden urge to break something takes over his body like a scorching flame. He hopes to the heavens above that these people who have made Sykkuno suffer never meet him.

“They’re gone now. My reputation isn’t exactly the cleanest.”

She lets out a soft sigh as her eyes fall close.

“What happened?”

He doesn’t know if he should stop but Sykkuno would never say much about their relationship either whenever Corpse asks about Yuna.

“I singled handed killed a hundred people in a fit of rage a few years back.”

He had felt the same sense of protectiveness in her when she appeared to save them that night. He could see his own anger and pain flash through her eyes when she saw Sykkuno’s bloody arm.

Funny how similar they are yet how very very different they are.

Corpse was impulsive and emotional when it came to Sykkuno. Yuna was calm and unreadable in every situation possible. Yet they both loved and cared deeply for the demi-god – both of them would give up their very own lives for Sykkuno without hesitating for even a millisecond.

“But it’s not my story to tell.”

She turns to him with a small smile – one that actually looks genuine and one that actually reaches her eyes. They carry on with combat until long after the sun has set in a comforting but sombre silence. 

**

“The last part of your training should be fine in the normal world. Sykkuno will find out sooner or later that we’ve been training. He might be slow at times to catch on but he’s very clever when it comes to these things. The change in your qi will probably be detected by him as soon as he sees you again.”

Corpse nods as he stuffs his belongings back into his backpack. Yuna had warned him about spending a while in the alternative space so he had packed some necessities and clothes to bring with him. He’s prepared this time when she pushes him into the water and the musician manages to land perfectly on his feet in the multicoloured world as they return.

“At least you know to land on your feet now.”

He scoffs at her sarcastic tone. Yuna doesn’t even bother saying goodbye before walking away with a dismissive wave of her hand. Corpse finds his own way back to the estate and is pleasantly surprised when he pulls out his phone to see that they had only been gone for ten or so minutes – they had spent nearly half a year training there if he counted the days correctly. 

When Sykkuno gets back in the late afternoon he merely gives his boyfriend a confused once over before shrugging it off.

xXx

**_Hakai_ ** _means destruction/demolition in Japanese [because puns are fun :)]._

 **_Kami_ ** _means God in Japanese._

 **_Sakkaku_ ** _means hallucination/delusion in Japanese [another pun because why not]._

 **_Bokken_ ** _a wooden sword used as a practice weapon in kendo._

Source for **the story of Izanami** :   
[**https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml**](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> I have decided that we'll deal with Sykkuno and Yuna's backstory sometime later cause this plot needs to move baby move... However, I will keep dropping hints as we go cause that's just how I roll sometimes ;) Thank you for your input and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter :) 
> 
> I also promptly forgot about Toast and the fox spirit in him so we'll be dealing with that chaotic mess of a situation in the next chapter to lighten the mood :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man sane and happy :) 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan
> 
> P.S. I don't know how accurate these sources are but the ones that I have linked are the ones that I used as reference for my writing :)


	10. Backstories: Envy and Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hear me out: I know I said I would keep y'all guess with Yuna and Sykkuno's backstory but I needed a filler for this chapter. Sorry about this and I hope this chapter isn't boring for you... ;(  
> Exam stress and writer's block is a deadly combination.

Toast squints against the bright rays of the sun as he waits impatiently for Lynne. The morning air is nice and crisp with petrichor floating like a heaven-sent blessing around the mountains. They still haven’t figured out the Toast-fox situation even after nearly two weeks. Lynne had said something about forcing the spirit out of his body by using a shockwave of sorts created by Nen but none of them really understood her as she had rambled on about it at dinner the previous night.

“Are you ready?”

The gang is currently gathered around in the courtyard with some of them sitting on the passageway of the hall whilst the others stood around Lynne and Toast. The doctor was currently readying herself into a fighting stance as she extends her hand out towards Toast’s back.

“Just don’t kill me please...”

Toast’s jaw is in pain from all the clenching but he doesn’t seem to be able to stop the action as he waits for her to finally hit him.

“Here goes nothing.”

She closes her eyes as she tries to concentrate her qi onto her palm. She surges forward on one foot with no warning at all and hits Toast square on his back. Toast lets out a grunt as he feels something detach from his body before the feeling settles back into his stomach again like a heavy weight. A gust of wind flies through the courtyard with the hit and everyone waits with wide eyes as silence settles over them again.

“Did it... work?”

Jack takes a step forward cautiously and Toast’s face breaks out into a frown as he opens his eyes.

“It’s still in me.”

Lynne rubs her neck sheepishly as they all turn to look at her.

“You knew that this wouldn’t work, didn’t you? You just wanted to hit me.”

Toast is now glaring at her as she takes a few steps back.

“No, no, of course not. Yes it’s true that I wasn’t sure if it would actually work but I promise I didn't suggest this idea just to hit you on purpose.”

Laughter rings out through the air and the bickering duo turn simultaneously to look at the hallway. Sykkuno has practically thrown himself onto Corpse’s lap as he continues to gasp for air with one of his hands waving over his mouth to try and hide his laughs.

“I’m glad I was able to entertain,” is all Toast mutters under his breath as he rubs the spot where Lynne had hit him.

The demi-god looks up for a second, his face serious and void from all the giggles, before he bursts out into another laughing fit. Corpse is watching his boyfriend with a highly amused smile of his own as he tries to get Sykkuno to calm down with some soothing back rubs.

“Now what? Do I need to make peace with this _sharing a body thing_ for the rest of my life and make them pay rent?”

The Canadian streamer plops down onto the ground with a sigh as he looks up at Lynne with a deadpan. She strokes her chin in thought as Sykkuno finally settles himself to lean lazily against his boyfriend with a small smile still lingering on his face.

“We could try Yuna?”

The aforementioned Ikaishi had been gone for a good part of nearly two days now. Nobody knows where she is. Yuna had excused herself to take a phone call sometime during dinner the day of Corpse’s training from hell and nobody has seen her since.

“Where is she even?”

Rae turns to look around the place, as if doing so will let her find the dark-headed female, when the sound of footsteps against the wooden floor rings out into the open space.

“It sounds as if the whole place is eagerly waiting on my arrival.”

Yuna’s shoulder length hair is braided loosely to one side and she’s wearing a pure black kimono with a single moon sewed onto the fabric between her shoulder blades. Her arms are hidden under her sleeves as she comes to a stop with a smile beside Corpse and Sykkuno.

“Please don’t hit me again.”

Toast sounds utterly defeated as he stands up from where he was sulking on the ground. The poor streamer has been more tired than ever now that he’s sharing his body with a fox spirit. Yuna lets out a small chuckle as she steps down into the courtyard to circle Toast like a predator.

“How did this happen?”

There’s an amused sparkle in her eyes as she studies Toast carefully.

“It just jumped at me.”

Yuna turns to Lynne and she gets a confirming nod in response.

“Well, to be more precise, it jumped at me and I moved out of the way so it hit Toast instead.”

The dark headed female comes to a stop in front of Toast with an almost evil looking grin.

“Oh? It seems she might have miscalculated. No worries though, she found you to be good enough for her recovery.”

Yuna lets out a small hum as she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear.

“She’s still injured and recovering. You probably haven’t slept well since that incident, have you?”

Toast nods, lately he goes to bed tired and wakes up even more tired.

“Come here.”

Toast eyes her with a sceptical frown and she merely motions with her hand at him when he still doesn’t move.

“I won’t hit you.”

Lynne looks away with an embarrassed flush. Yuna’s hand is cold and smooth, like water from a fresh stream, as it lands on Toast’s forehead. He feels a surge of power rush through him from the tips of her fingers.

“Come out now, it’ll all be okay.”

Her voice is gentle, as if talking to a child, and Toast feels the spirit inside of him starting to calm down.

“I hope you have a firm footing.”

She offers him a gentle smile before tapping his forehead lightly. Toast’s vision goes blank as he feels his soul leave his body for a brief moment. When he comes back to consciousness he finds himself on the floor surrounded by his worried friends. The fox spirit is standing next to Yuna and he lets out a relieved sigh as he slumps down onto the floor completely. 

“Sorry about that.”

Yuna offers him an apologetic smile as she runs a hand through the fox’s fur.

“However, if you were able to function normally for so long with a spirit draining your energy then you have serious potential.”

Toast lets out a laugh before shaking his head firmly from side to side.

“Nope. A onetime experience is more than enough thanks.”

The fox spirit ends up offering him a piece of her tail fur as a protective charm and Lily finds them asleep and cuddled on the futon later that night. Toast finally gets a goodnight’s rest for the first time in nearly two weeks. 

**

Sykkuno halts in his tracks when his eyes land on the lean figure sitting against the frame of the window. Her eyes are trained on the moon as the gentle night breeze rustles her hair softly. He had forgotten something in their meeting room this morning and had decided to come fetch it after dinner. What he didn’t think would happen was for him to run into Yuna.

Both of them had been avoiding the situation of being alone with each other as to prolong any confrontation but life always has a funny way of making things happen when you don’t want said things to happen. Sykkuno knows that they can’t keep avoiding this conversation forever but a part of him is also scared to know the truth.

“The moon’s beautiful tonight isn’t it?”

He jumps a little at her soft voice, not expecting her to initiate any conversation at all. He nods in response, not trusting his own voice, even though her eyes are not looking at him.

“How have you been Sykkuno? Has life been treating you alright?”

He feels the prickling of tears against the corners of his eyes as she turns around to look at him. For the first time in a few years their eyes finally meet. Yuna doesn’t say anything as a single tear rolls down the brunette’s cheek. Her own eyes are also starting to water, making them sparkle like beautiful jewels in the dim moonlight.

“I’ve been alright. Have you been well?”

His voice sounds hoarse and he can hear how broken this fight has made him from the quiver in it. They grew up together and they were there for each other at the toughest of times. Sykkuno remembers crying himself to sleep in her arms every time he had a bad day when he was young. She was always there for him with words of comfort and hugs that healed even the darkest of memories.

“I missed you.”

He lets out a shaky sob as the words echo through the dark room. He missed her too.

“Why did you do it?”

Sykkuno remembers the anger that had welled up in his chest, the anger that made him see red, the anger that had threatened to split him apart. He remembers plain as the day the look of guilt in her eyes as she walked out of the room after agreeing to his angry outburst. He had told her that he never wanted to see her again and true to her promise she never reached out to him during all these years. He knows she always had someone following him in the dark to keep an eye out for him after she stepped down from the duty herself. Sykkuno remembers seeing glances of Evelynne or Luke behind buildings watching him as he moved about his routine in college.

“Why did you have them transfer my wounds to yourself?”

The kidnapping incident was not her fault. He had been too careless that day. They had mobbed him in a group of nearly fifty people and they had taken him hostage in a dark, scary warehouse. Yuna had been summoned back to the estate to take care of a serious mishap with some Ikaishis and he had reassured her that nothing would happen. Sykkuno was nearly dead by the time they had found him a few days later. Those hunters had tried to whip Izanagi out of his soul and they had planned to make him bleed to death when the kami in him would not appear.

He was told by the doctors and healers when he woke up with not a single scratch on his body that the transferring of the wounds to Yuna was a necessary procedure as to ensure Izanami’s full recovery. Sykkuno had nearly destroyed the estate in his fit of rage when he later found out that that was not true at all and that Yuna had asked for it herself in order to not let him suffer more. Yuna had been bedridden with a high fever for nearly two months trying to heal from those wounds. The whip those hunters had used was a special artefact that was meant to kill the person containing the spirit/deities/kami whilst forcing the detachment of the two souls within the body. They were scared that Sykkuno would not have been able to survive through the healing process due to his weak health at the time so Yuna had decided to sacrifice herself. If she died it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal anyways was what she had told him.

Normally wounds made by special artefacts such as the whip would not have been transferable but since Yuna was bonded as Sykkuno’s substitute by blood since they were still very young they had managed to find a way to get around that problem. The transferring process in and of itself had nearly killed the both of them.

“I hated you Sykkuno.”

Her voice breaks at the end as tears finally start to stream down her cheeks as well.

“I envied you and I wanted nothing more than to hurt you when I was young. You were the prestigious chosen one and I was an orphan without love found by your father on the streets. They had lied to you when they said that my parents were prestigious Ikaishis that died fighting Youmu to protect humankind. I don’t know who my parents are – nobody knows who they are. All we know is that I had great potential and a scary amount of qi in me.”

Sykkuno remembers her frightening death glare as a child. They didn’t hit it off immediately. He had to slowly work his way over each and every one of the carefully built walls around her heart before she finally started to accept him as a friend.

“I thought I would be happy when you got kidnapped. But through the years you had slowly made a place in my life for yourself – a place that I treasure dearly and hold close to my heart now. Bloodlust took over me when we found you hanging half dead in that warehouse. ”

They never told him what had happened to those hunters. All Sykkuno would ever get whenever he asked about them was the answer of ‘they’re in a better place now’ followed by grim silence.

“I killed them all Sykkuno. I went on a rampage and murdered more than a hundred people by myself. The thought of losing you made me want to kill myself. I was so desperate at that time that I was ready to do just about anything to keep you alive. When they told me that we could transfer the wounds I told them that I wanted to do it.”

He makes his way towards her slowly and she flinches when he pulls her into a hug. They fall onto their knees with a thud in a sobbing mess.

“I’m okay now. I’m alive. We’re okay now.”

His words sound weak even to his own ears as he strokes her back gently in an attempt to calm himself and her down. They're okay now and hopefully they'll be okay for a long time.

“I’m sorry Sykkuno. I’m sorry for letting you suffer.”

Corpse finds them curled up and fast asleep against the wall of the meeting room later that night.

**

The dripping of water strums itself out like an eerie melody in the broken chapel. A field of red spider lilies is blooming beautifully near the altar where the roof has collapse in of itself. A shower of raindrops flies through the air as one red flower gets plucked out of the ground. The tall male lets out a content huff of air as he smells the flower.

“It’s time my friends.”

Youmu of all kind are peeking out from behind the pillars lining the sides of the chapel. Some make their way out to circle above the chapel as the male walks through the field of lilies from the altar. Each beautiful red flower withers and dies as he walks past, leaving a grey trail of death in the wake of his steps. He lets the ashes of the dead lily in his palm slide through his fingers as he comes to a stop in front of the chapel doors.

“Your reign ends here Izanagi.”

The chapel falls dead silent as the figure disappears into the night.

xXx

**_Red Spider Lilies_** _symbolise death._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello~ 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to update, life got a little rough... This will probably be a double update, maybe even a triple because we're near the end. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. 
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man happy and sane :) 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	11. Red Spider Lilies: Till death do us part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was tempted to write something sweet before destroying people's happiness :) Sorry for the angst :0 Please don't hurt me... 
> 
> Warning: Fluff of sorts but no smut just yet. The first section could be considered implied smut but not really :) They were just having some fun!
> 
> Enjoy!

Sykkuno lets out an irritated sound as he squints against the morning light streaming through the window. The pillow under him shifts and a smile immediately breaks over his features when his eyes land on the still sleeping Corpse. The younger male’s dark hair is scattered elegantly across the white pillows to create a stunning work of art.

_How can someone be so beautiful?_

The brunette feels a blush crawl its way onto his face as he plops down onto Corpse’s chest to properly stare at the younger male's peaceful sleeping features. Sykkuno finds himself blushing harder and harder with each passing glance before he finally lets out an embarrassed groan and buries his face into the other’s chest. He looks back up after a minute of trying to calm his thoughts and he lets his eyes trail to the musician’s bare torso. Corpse somehow developed a habit of sleeping without a shirt after they started sharing a bed and Sykkuno will definitely be lying if he says that the sight doesn’t do things to his fragile heart. Unconsciously, Sykkuno starts to move his hand down from where it’s resting on Corpse’s shoulder. He trails his fingers across the now healed wound on the younger’s chest with barely there touches and he doesn’t resist when the urge to kiss the scar takes over him. Corpse stirs a little under the feather light kisses being mapped out across his chest and Sykkuno panics until his boyfriend’s breathing even outs again.

_I should really stop._

Is what he thinks as he trails his hand down lower to Corpse’s stomach. The brunette doesn’t know for sure but he’s pretty confident in the fact that Corpse has definitely done some training with Yuna and the physical exercise is doing some damn wonderwork on his boyfriend’s body. Sykkuno can’t help but rest his palm fully on Corpse’s flat stomach as he fondles the muscles there lightly.

“Are you having fun?”

The older male lets out a surprised screech as Corpse’s hoarse and much deeper morning voice echoes across their bedroom. He watches with a smug smirk on his face as Sykkuno let out a string of incomprehensible embarrassed sounds.

“I’ve never thought about it but I think I might actually enjoy waking up to you caressing my muscles a little too much if this is what it feels like.”

The older male whines at the teasing as he buries his now beet red face into his hands. Corpse lets out a low chuckle before pulling him down onto his chest again.

“Look at me Kkuno.”

The streamer shakes his head furiously as he tries to bury his face even deeper into his palms. Corpse lets out an amused huff of air before leaning down to whisper in his boyfriend’s ear – which is also flaming red.

“ _I said look at me._ ”

His voice comes out as a low growl and he tightens his hold on Sykkuno’s waist when he feels the other shiver with pleasure. Glazed doe eyes peek out from between those slender fingers and Corpse’s breath hitches at the sight.

“Are you trying to get me killed Sykkuno?”

Sykkuno meets Corpse halfway to connect their lips in a bruising kiss. A series of whines and moans tumble out of them and into the warm air of the bedroom as their tongues glide over and explore each other’s mouths. Corpse doesn’t know how he’s resisted so far but they’ve somehow managed to keep it to heated make out sessions only.

“Corpse...”

His name falls out as a mewl from those sinful lips and the sound prompts Corpse to tug on Sykkuno’s hair. The rough action earns him a whimper from his boyfriend and Corpse bites down on the milky skin of the demi-god’s neck with a responding groan. Sykkuno’s kimono slips off of his shoulders as he squirms under his boyfriend’s attention.

The resounding knock that sounds through the room causes Sykkuno to tense up. Eve’s voice is barely audible from behind the locked door as Sykkuno’s heartbeat picks up.

“Are you awake Sykkuno?”

A tense silence washes over the room at her question. The streamer nearly curses as he feels Corpse’s lips curl up into a smirk against his neck.

“It’s impolite to not answer people when they’re talking to you Kkuno.”

How dare he. The audacity!

“ _Answer her Sykkuno._ ”

His heart speeds up for an entirely different reason as Corpse whispers the command into his ear.

“I- I’m awake!”

His voice sounds breathless and he earns a chaste kiss on his lips for obeying the order.

“Breakfast is ready. Do you think you can make the meeting in half an hour?”

Corpse has gone back to sucking his neck and Sykkuno dies a little on the inside as he tries to contain the lewd sounds threatening to spill from his mouth. The lack of response causes Eve to knock on the door again. Corpse lets go of Sykkuno’s neck after a final lick on the now dark purple patch of skin to raise an eyebrow at the older male.

“Where are your manners Kkuno?”

Sykkuno closes his eyes as he tries to calm down. He nearly lets out a scream when Corpse licks at one of his perked up nipples. The younger male’s breath is warm as it fans over the dusky bud.

“Don’t be rude Sykkuno.”

He’s going to die at this rate. ~~And he can’t tell if it’ll be from embarrassment or pleasure.~~

“Y- Yeah. I’ll... um... be there.”

He finishes the sentence weakly as he tangles one of his hands into Corpse’s dark locks. The younger male licks the bud a few more times before biting down on it gently. Sykkuno doesn’t hear what Eve says, only the sound of her fading footsteps, and when he’s sure the pink haired female has left he lets out a sigh. The lack of attention makes Corpse tug on the nipple between his teeth and he earns a loud moan for his efforts.

“Corpse- Don’t-”

The taller male merely hums as he closes his mouth over it before he sucks. The action has Sykkuno arching his back beautifully.

Sykkuno, in fact, _did not_ make it to the meeting on time.

**

Yuna’s eyes open slowly as the sky darkens. A low rumble of thunder echoes through the greyness. The meeting room falls silent as she stands up to walk towards the window.

“He’s coming.”

Sykkuno stands up from his seat as well upon hearing her words.

“Get Toast and everyone else out of here.”

Lynne and Eve rush out of the room to do as they're told.

“Set up the barrier.”

Timothy and Luke disappear as well through the open door. Corpse is a little breathless from running as he steps into the meeting room. Sykkuno immediately goes over to him.

“Corpse, you have to leave.”

The younger male shakes his head and he intertwines their fingers together.

“I’m not going to leave you here alone Sykkuno, especially not when I know someone’s coming after your life.”

The three of them make it out into the courtyard just as the barrier completes.

“You four take care of the Youmu. The barrier will do very little to keep Hakai out. Corpse-”

Yuna stops to look at him and they exchange a nod.

“Protect Sykkuno at all cost.”

A roar sounds through the trees and they exchange a few more words before scattering into the wind. Corpse moves Sykkuno behind him as the floor starts to shake. A monstrous beast that looks like a huge spider with a human’s skull stops in front of the estate gate and it lets out another roar as its eyes land on the trio.

“Catch.”

Corpse fumbles a little as a sheathed sword comes flying his way. He pulls out a black bladed katana similar in design to the one that had saved their lives the first night he had arrived.

“I had it made for you. Take care of it.”

Corpse resists the urge to pull her into a hug – mainly because the beast is now readying itself to charge at them ~~and definitely not because she’ll definitely kick him if he does~~. Sykkuno pulls out a wooden bokken from midair, similar to the one they used in their training but different in the sense that this bokken was sharper than any knife even though it was made of pure wood only. He offers Corpse a smile as the beast takes off from where it was standing and charges right at them.

“You better keep up kiddo.”

Yuna and Sykkuno take off running straight at the beast with no warning at all. They hoist themselves into the air with little effort as two massive front legs come crashing to the ground. Corpse can only watch in awe as the energy levels in the air spike up like crazy. Sykkuno disappears as Yuna’s sword comes crashing against the monster’s legs with a loud clank. The demi-god flashes into sight right before his bokken hits the creatures back. A loud cracking noise rings out through the night as the beast lets out a scream and breaks into glass.

The sound of slow clapping echoes through the air as a figure walks up to them. His eyes are pure black and his teeth are sharp like a wolf’s, displaying his half-Youmu features in the bright moonlight.

“Well it seems the rumours don’t do you justice. You’re much better than what the stories say.”

Corpse has to fight the urge to run to Sykkuno as the figure comes to a stop behind the jewel-embedded stone.

“And to think that this was supposed to be one of our strongest beasts.”

The stone breaks under his grip and shatters into dust before scattering into the air with the wind.

“Why are you doing this?”

Hakai looks up with a smile at Sykkuno’s question.

“Ah, the man of the night.”

Yuna tightens her grip on her sword before stepping closer to Sykkuno protectively.

“Don’t worry – I won’t kill you just yet. I’m going to savour every moment of tonight before I get to the main action.”

Hakai drops his hands to his sides before clasping them together behind his back.

“Do you know what it feels like to be bullied by humans for being different?”

His lips are up in a grin but his eyes are swirling with anger as he starts to pace a little.

“Humans are disgusting creatures – greedy, lustful, angry little things that are always so very rude. They only prey on the weak and they cower in fear answering to every beck and call of the strong. They’re absolutely _pathetic_ creatures.”

Memories of being taunted and pushed around resurface to Sykkuno’s mind as he notices the scar across Hakai’s cheek.

_Weirdo. Freak. Monster. You deserve to die, you disgusting creature!_

Corpse’s warm hand on his back (when did he even move to get here?) pulls him out of his storm of anxiety and he offers the younger male a weak smile when he sees those worried eyes studying him closely.

“So I thought what if I got rid of those pathetic mortals? What if I open the seal and let nature take its course of action?”

Hakai comes to a stop with the moon looming behind him. Hysterical laughter filters into the air as the winds start to pick up.

“Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Yuna lets out a scoff.

“If you consider a massacre fun.”

Hakai’s expression turns to mock hurt as static sparks ignite to life around them.

“Massacre? No. Just weeding out the unwanted.”

A pair of crow like wings burst out from his back as his eyes and teeth turn sharper.

“I hope you’ve said your goodbyes Sykkuno.”

His claws hit Yuna’s sword and she lets out a grunt before pushing him off. Hakai lets out an ear-deafening screech before flying into the sky.

“Don’t let me do this the hard way.”

Yuna shoots herself off of the ground and straight at him as he dives down at them. A series of flash and sparks litter the night like dynamite being set off rapidly as the duo clash and break apart and clash and break apart. A frustrated growl sounds through the night as Hakai stops in midair with a huff of air.

“You’re a persistent brat.”

Yuna lands lightly on the ground in front of them. Her forehead is covered in sweat and she’s panting heavily for air.

“Move if you don’t want to die.”

She smiles as she tightens her grip on the handle of her sword.

“Try and kill me then.”

Lines of black shoot out from his back like needles and a shield breaks out around them as Sykkuno does a series of motions with his hand. The black needles hit the shield loudly and the whole ground shakes as they try to break through.

“We can’t keep hiding in here. We need to do something.”

Sykkuno lets out a grunt as a particular hard shot hits the shield.

“I’ll create an opening.”

Corpse flexes his fingers out before starting to create a concentrated ball of his qi in his palm.

“Drop the shield at the count of three.”

Sykkuno nods as Yuna steadies her stance to pounce.

“One.”

The air between Corpse’s palm lets out a cackle as sparks start to pop to life around his fingers.

“Two.”

Sykkuno lets out a gasp of shock as the air turns murky before shrinking in on itself to become a dark ball the size of a cherry.

“Three.”

The demi-god drops the shield and the ball of black in Corpse’s palm shoots out into its own needles. The shattering of glass echoes around them as Hakai’s spikes are broken by the younger male's. Those massive crow wings close around him as Corpse’s spikes try to pierce him. As Hakai’s wings spread open to destroy Corpse’s qi, Yuna lifts off the ground to cut through his chest.

A roar of pain rings through the night as Hakai falls to the ground. A deep slash has torn open the front of his shirt and black liquid pours of his wound as he clenches his chest with his hand. The villain spits of some blood the colour of black ink before standing up again.

“I wanted to play nice but now you’ve gone and pissed me off.”

A shadow grows out from the ground and surrounds them into a black bubble as Hakai’s qi sparks once again. One side of his face is starting to morph into an ugly decaying skull of sorts as two black horns break out of his dark hair. Corpse heaves himself forward before falling onto the ground as he start coughing vigorously. Izanami’s soul is responding to the negative energy surrounding them and its becoming stronger with each passing second.

“Corpse!”

Sykkuno falls to his knees beside his boyfriend as Corpse continues to cough out a handful of blood.

“You need to leave here.”

Yuna comes to a stop beside them as she eyes the bubble wearily.

“You’re going to die at this rate.”

Sykkuno looks up at her with a frantic look in his eyes.

“What’s happening to him? What’s wrong?”

She exchanges a glance with Corpse and they both remain stubbornly silent as Sykkuno turns to look between them.

“Tell me!”

There are angry tears in the demi-god’s eyes and his emotional states causes his qi to leak out of his body unconsciously as bright white sparks splutter to life around them.

Corpse’s second coughing fit finally has Yuna speaking through gritted teeth as the frantic demi-god tries to ease his boyfriend's pain with his qi.

“Izanami’s soul is growing in his body and the dark energy is consuming Corpse's soul. If he doesn’t get out from this bubble of negative qi soon he’s going to die from the internal conflict of the two energies in his body.”

Sykkuno turns to look at Corpse with wild eyes as he grasps the younger’s hands tightly in his own.

“You have to leave.”

Corpse shakes his head as he heaves a heavy breath.

“Not without you.”

Corpse has never seen Sykkuno raise his voice before and the older male’s yelling takes him by surprise.

“You’re dying! I can’t let you die. What would I do without you?”

The sentence ends with a broken sob and Corpse’s surprised expression softens into a tender smile as he pulls Sykkuno in for a hug. A screeching noise can be heard from the other side of the bubble as Hakai’s tongue shoots out at them. The sound of metal hitting metal pierces through the dark space as Yuna’s sword blocks the blade like tongue. Her sword shatters after a few seconds from the impact and she curses as she surges forward in front of the couple on the floor. Sykkuno and Corpse watch in horror as the tongue pierces through her stomach and hits the shield Yuna has conjured around them. Blood spills out of her mouth as she lets out a weak cough.

Corpse lets out a string of curses as he stands up shakily. Sykkuno tries to follow but he’s held firmly onto the ground in the shield by Corpse’s qi – the younger’s aura is becoming scarily strong and dark as Izanami’s soul starts to take over his body. Yuna falls to the ground on one knee with her hands still up in front of her to keep the shield going as Hakai’s tongue retracts into his mouth again.

“Remember what we said about letting the other die if it means saving Sykkuno?”

Yuna looks up at Corpse weakly as the younger steps out of the shield to stand in front of her.

“You better not fail me now old lady.”

Yuna lets out a weak scoff at the nickname and stands up with a wince as her hand clutches her bleeding stomach. Corpse’s aura spikes up to overtake Hakai’s qi and he lets out a grunt as his body sets itself on fire with dark flames. Izanami was powerful as a kami but after her entrance into the underworld she became much stronger – even becoming more powerful than her husband, Izanagi. They say hatred is a monster with no master.

Yuna grabs ahold of Sykkuno’s arm as she lets the shield fall away. The demi-god struggles as he tries to break free from the strings of his boyfriend’s qi. She extends one hand out to the side of the bubble closest to them and a blue ball of qi sparks itself to life in her palm.

Corpse’s eyes are glazed over with unshed tears as he turns back to look at Sykkuno.

“Sykkuno, I love you.”

The bubble shatters with a hole as Yuna’s qi hits it and Sykkuno lets out a scream as she drags them out. The hole closes almost immediately as soon as they hit the ground outside. Sykkuno’s heart breaks as he catches a glimpse of Hakai and Corpse charging at each other before his vision gets block off by the bubble. The demi-god finally breaks out of his boyfriend’s qi and he rushes to pound against the dark bubble with broken cries. The muffled sounds of fighting coming from inside the dark space pierce through his heart like knives.

Yuna is barely conscious and bleeding out on the ground when Luke, Tim, Lynne and Eve arrive. Sykkuno struggles against Tim and Luke’s grip as they forcefully pull him away from the dark bubble.

Corpse inhales deeply through clenched teeth as Hakai gets thrown through the air. The half-breed's back hits the bubble with a loud thump. Corpse's body is struggling to keep up with Izanami’s rising power. He needs to end this soon.

Hakai stands up weakly to lean against the bubble. Corpse had infused his own qi into the dark space to make sure that the other male wouldn’t be able to escape to chase after Sykkuno.

“Izanami.”

Hakai's cold voice causes Corpse to fall onto the ground as a surge of pain takes over his body.

“Don’t you want Izanagi dead? He left you. He made you suffer alone.”

A grin hides behind the mock sympathy on Hakai’s face as he limps towards Corpse on the ground.

“If you get rid of this boy now we’ll be able to easily kill off Izanagi.”

Corpse’s hands hit the ground with a thud as a stream of dark red blood slides out of his mouth. Crap, Hakai’s trying to manipulate Izanami.

“We can end all of our pain and suffering here.”

Corpse tries to concentrate on his own qi to stabilise his body but Izanami’s power has already consumed his energy completely. The younger male curses as his vision becomes blurry.

_I hate him._

Whose voice was that? It sounded sad, as if it was suffering from a deep pain.

 _But I love him even more than I hate him_.

Corpse feels a rush of warmth wash over him. The bone-chilling pain of revenge and hatred in his body replaces itself with warm rays of love and tenderness. He stands up with renewed strength as Hakai’s eyes widen in horror.

“It’s true that hate is strong.”

Corpse closes the distance between them with a few strides. Hakai struggles weakly in his grip as he clamps his hand around the half-Youmu’s neck before lifting him off the ground.

“But you miscalculated one thing. Love is stronger than any hate that exists.”

Hakai’s mouth opens in a silent scream as he starts to burn in the scorching heat of Izanami’s black flames. The half-Youmu’s eyes fall shut as his body starts to fade into ash. The world comes to a standstill as Corpse hits the ground with a crash. The bubble collapses in on itself and a surge of energy washes over the mountain leaving a chaotic mess of destruction in its wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~
> 
> It looks like the end is near. I hope I made this ride enjoyable for my dear readers :) 
> 
> I thank you all for sticking with me so far and for all your love and support!
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps a man sane and happy :) 
> 
> xx  
> -Jesan


	12. Sakurasou: I love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just - *steps into a bath of holy water and drowns in it* 
> 
> The section marked off with /// is um... smut haha... ^ The rating might change... *deep sigh*  
> Please always remember to practice safe sex! - consent and protection are important!! [okay I'm done now - sorry for making things awkward, please proceed to the chapter :) ]
> 
> Enjoy~ 
> 
> P.S. My editing is once again a mess so I will be adding in notes and editing any typos sometime this week maybe. Please check chapters for notes at the end if you didn't understand something :) I'm sorry ;(

_Drip, drip, drip..._

The droplets of water fall down in a steady rhythm and the sound bounces off the walls of the cave to accompany the loud whistling of the wind outside. Corpse’s head feels like lead as he sits up from the cold stone ground. Where is he?

There’s little to no light coming through the entrance of the cave as a heavy layer of fog dances happily in front of it. Something slithers against the stone floor and Corpse turns around to find darkness.

“Who’s there?”

A soft hissing sound can be heard now as the creature moves steadily closer to the dark haired male.

“What do you want?”

His deep voice fades into the dark as a figure shoots out from behind him. His fist lands against something hard and cold and Corpse feels a shiver run down his spine as he looks up to see a rotting face. Maggots are crawling out of the eye sockets of Izanami’s face and her bottom jaw hangs loosely in the air. She lets go of his hand and Corpse stumbles as he backs away slowly.

“If you hadn’t fallen in love with that boy I would have killed him.”

Her torn white robes drag over the dirty ground as she moves to go stand by the cave’s entrance.

“Am I dead?”

The kami lets out a hollow laugh as she turns around to look at him.

“Not quite.”

Corpse doesn’t know what happened. He only remembers his vision turning black as his body collided against the mountain floor. Corpse turns to follow the kami’s line of sight and he lets out a huff of air when his eyes land on the tree in the far back of the cave.

“The fruit of the underworld. You aren’t truly dead until you eat it.”

Corpse remembers the story that Yuna had told him – he remembers her telling him how Izanami had become trapped because of those sparkling pitch black fruits hanging from the almost dead looking tree.

“He still loves you.”

Izanami turns her head to look at Corpse and the dark haired male tries to hide his shudder as he stares back at the rotting face.

“Your husband still loves you.”

She lets out a high pitched laugh – the sound hysterical and deafening.

“Why would you ever say that? He stopped loving me when he saw this wretched face.”

Two bony hands come to a stop on her hollow cheeks as she twirls around the cave in a crazed manner.

“Nobody loves me anymore.”

She was loved by all and even worshipped by her enemies when she was alive and beautiful. Now everybody hates her and calls her a monster.

“He never stopped loving you.”

His words fade into silence as she comes to a stop.

“Stop lying to me.”

Her voice comes out weak but a gust of wind swirls to life in the cave as her anger starts to flare.

“You’re all liars – every single one of you. Even him.”

Corpse stands his ground against the strong winds as the enraged kami starts to close in on him.

“I’m not lying.”

Her bony hand comes to a stop inches away from his face. The smell of blood and rotting flesh makes Corpse sick.

“Izanagi’s soul would always become stronger whenever we kissed. It was like your husband was trying to kiss you too.”

Corpse knows because he would always feel a powerful surge of qi that didn’t belong to Sykkuno trying to enter into his body. Izanagi never stopped looking for his wife. He never stopped loving her.

“If he truly loved me then he wouldn’t have ran from me.”

He ran because he knew he would give in to her pleas to stay in the underworld.

“He was the ruler of the spirit realm. He couldn’t have stayed in the underworld even if he wanted to.”

Her arm drops down to her side as she steps back.

“Duties above everything else – that is the life of a kami. Your people are always the most important and their needs should always be your priority.”

The highest seat in life will always be the loneliest. Corpse’s eyes widen in realisation when his fingers close around cold metal in his pocket.

_“Give this to Izanami if you ever see her.”_

That was what Yuna had said when she had casually given Corpse the hairpin one day during their training.

He pulls out the silver hairpin decorated with a single baby pink Sakurasou. Izanami eyes him with a blank expression as he offers the hairpin to her.

“From Izanagi.”

A look of realisation washes over her face as she takes the hairpin between her bony fingers. It was her husband’s first gift to her. The world was still young and in the making at that time.

_Desire and long-lasting love._

He had given it to her one morning as they were strolling between the never-ending rows of Sakura trees. She had lost it whilst chasing him out of the underworld. A single drop of black liquid drips out of one of her hollow eye sockets as she closes her hand over the hairpin.

“It’s time for you to go back.”

Corpse lets out a confused sound as she starts to float towards him.

“You don’t belong here.”

She gestures at the dirty cave with a wave.

“Plus, you have someone waiting for you back in the mortal realm.”

Sykkuno. He promised to stay by Sykkuno's side until the very end.

“Off you go now.”

Corpse flinches as a bony index finger taps his forehead gently. The ground disappears under him and he panics as he gets thrown into a free fall. A lady with beautiful long dark hair wearing a pure white kimono appears in the darkness with a smile.

_Tell my husband I love him._

Corpse closes his eyes as his back hits something hard. He finds himself tangled in a blanket on the floor of the medical wing when he opens his eyes. Sykkuno is standing by the entrance with a vase of pink Camellias between his hands. The demi-god’s eyes are wide with shock as he stares at Corpse in disbelief.

“Corpse?”

The brunette’s voice is barely above a whisper as he takes a shaky step towards the bed.

“I’m back Sykkuno. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

His voice sounds broken from disuse. How long had he been out for?

The vase shatters as Sykkuno all but drops it in favour of running towards his boyfriend. Corpse barely makes it off the ground before Sykkuno rushes into his embrace. They stumble, nearly tripping and falling back onto the hard floor, as Sykkuno cries into Corpse’s chest.

“I thought I had lost you forever.”

Corpse had also thought that he was a goner for sure this time.

“Sykkuno are you ready to-”

Yuna stops dead in her tracks as her eyes land on the crying couple beside the bed. Her dark blue orbs widen comically and she lets out a disbelieving wet laugh when Corpse grins.

“Two whole months. You made us wait for two whole months you bastard.”

Her words have no bite behind them as she wipes her tears on her sleeve.

Corpse closes his eyes with a small smile as he lets Sykkuno’s comforting scent wash over him. The brunette pulls back with a sniffle when he finally calms down and he offers the younger male a teary eyed grin when their eyes meet.

“Welcome back Corpse.”

Sykkuno tastes like rays of sunshine and happiness when their lips meet in a bruising kiss.

**

The kine hits the usu with a thud as Corpse lets out a harsh breath through his gritted teeth. The mochi mixture sticks to the head of the kine as he pulls it back up over his shoulder. The persistent dessert fall back down into the usu with a thump after putting up a tough fight as Corpse shakes the kine vigorously.

“The new year will be over before we can eat at this rate.”

Yuna sticks her tongue out at him when he shoots her a glare.

“He’s still recovering.”

Sykkuno defends his boyfriend with a smile and he earns a click of tongue from Yuna as she turns to look at him.

“You spoil him too much.”

Luke and Tim take over the mochi making process and Corpse shoots Yuna a smug smile as he walks over to cosy himself up to Sykkuno. Corpse dodges her kick swiftly before snaking his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

“You’re just jealous.”

Yuna’s scowl morphs into an evil grin as she turns her back on the couple.

“Guess I’ll keep baby Sykkuno’s photos to myself.”

Sykkuno lets out an undignified sound as Corpse immediately starts to apologise. The group breaks out into a chaotic mess of laughter and yelling as the sun smiles down happily at them. They eat and drink late into the night before finally scattering to their respective rooms near midnight after the fireworks.

Corpse finds Sykkuno awake and admiring the moon as he steps out of the en suite. The demi-god lets out a relaxed sigh when Corpse pulls him into a back hug.

“You’re going to catch a cold.”

Sykkuno’s tone is light as he scolds the younger male for not wearing a shirt. Corpse tugs on Sykkuno’s thin kimono with a pout as he bends down to place a chaste kiss on the older male’s cheek.

“You’re not wearing anything warm either.”

Sykkuno turns in his arms to press their chests flush together with a smile.

“My clothes are all enchanted to keep me warm.”

Corpse’s eyes darken as his hands slide down Sykkuno’s side to his lower back.

“Then maybe you could share some warmth with me.”

The demi-god had promptly banned any remotely heated action between them during Corpse’s recover period and the limitation had nearly broken Corpse before he could reach the end of those two agonising months. Sykkuno had been acting shier than usual around him and Corpse, being the gentleman he is, decided that he could wait until his boyfriend deemed himself ready.

///

Sykkuno doesn’t push away as Corpse lowers his hand even more before letting his large palms come to a rest on the brunette’s plump globes. Corpse wets his lips unconsciously as his eyes trail to Sykkuno’s lips and the older male’s breathing picks up as Corpse squeezes his butt gently. Sykkuno’s pupils dilate when Corpse’s arousal rubs gently against his hip by accident. The response prompts the younger male to slide his leg between Sykkuno’s thighs and the demi-god lets out a breathless moan at the stimulation. Corpse stops as he lifts Sykkuno’s head up by the chin to look at his boyfriend.

“Sykkuno, you need to speak to me baby. I won’t do anything if you’re not ready yet.”

The brunette opens his mouth in a pant as he tries to focus on Corpse. The younger male waits patiently as Sykkuno tries to find his words. Corpse tries to hide his disappointment as he begins to pull back with a reassuring smile after a long pause of silence from Sykkuno. He can wait.

Sykkuno snaps out of his daze when Corpse begins to pull back and they tumble onto the wooden floor in a mess of limbs when the demi-god surges forward to stop him from leaving.

“I- I want you.”

Corpse clenches his jaw as Sykkuno hides his face shyly between Corpse’s neck and shoulder.

“I just don’t want to disappoint you. I’ve never done this before...”

All the fidgeting and nervous glances suddenly make sense as Corpse lets out a relieved laugh. He had thought that Sykkuno was losing interest in their relationship when he started to distance himself but Yuna kept reassuring the younger male that it was the exact opposite every time he ranted about his worries to the older Ikaishi. 

“Sykkuno look at me.”

His tone is gentle and Sykkuno looks like he’s on the verge of tears as he peeks up.

“You will never disappoint me, ever. On the contrary, I am very honoured to be your first.”

The brunette’s face turns beautifully red upon hearing the teasing comment and Corpse lets out a breathless chuckle before capturing Sykkuno’s lips with his own. The tension in the demi-god’s shoulders melt away like ice cream on a hot summer’s day as Corpse entangles their tongues together. Sykkuno lets out a breathless moan when the taller male tugs on his tongue gently before sucking on it. They separate with a small pop and Corpse wets his lips again at the sight of his flushed lover. Corpse’s roaming hands had somehow managed to push open Sykkuno’s kimono whilst they were kissing. The sight of his pale exposed shoulder contrasting his swollen cherry red lips does things to Corpse’s heart. 

“You are to tell me immediately if you feel uncomfortable, okay?”

Sykkuno nods and Corpse shakes his head gently as he presses their foreheads together.

“I need verbal confirmation Sykkuno.”

The brunette lets out a small huff of breath as he snakes his arms around Corpse’s neck.

“Yes.”

Corpse lifts them off the ground with a grunt and Sykkuno wraps his legs around Corpse’s waist instinctively. They both let out a moan when the action causes their erections to rub against each other. Corpse tightens his hold on his boyfriend’s thighs and more blood rushes down to Sykkuno’s painfully hard cock at the thought of waking up with bruises there the next morning. Their lips never separate from each other as Corpse walks them towards the bed.

Sykkuno lets out a needy whine as they detach, a string of saliva stretching out between their sleek lips. Corpse throws him onto the bed rather unceremoniously before crawling up to cage Sykkuno between his arms. The demi-god’s arms find their way around the younger male’s neck again and he pouts when Corpse dodges his kiss with a small smirk.

“When did you become so needy, baby?”

The brunette slides his hand over Corpse’s shoulder before moving it up to tangle his fingers in those messy black curls. Sykkuno tightens his grip and tugs gently on Corpse’s thick strands and the action causes the latter’s eyes to darken possessively.

“That’s because I can’t get enough of you.”

Corpse’s knuckles turn white from gripping the sheets too hard as he crushes their mouths together again. The desperation in their actions causes their teeth to clink against each other and Corpse’s tongue darts through Sykkuno’s swollen lips to map out the already familiar path of his lover’s mouth. Sykkuno’s blunt nails dig into his back and he lets out a hiss at the painful pleasure.

“I need to get the lube and condoms.”

He also needs to clear his head if he doesn’t want to hurt Sykkuno. The brunette reluctantly lets go of him as he gets up to rummage through his bag. His heart nearly stops when he turns around to find Sykkuno sprawled out lazily across the white bed. His dark green kimono has nearly fallen off complete and is currently hanging loosely around his petite form. His pale thighs almost seem ethereal in the dim moonlight as the silky fabric of his kimono pool around his waist elegantly. His hair is tussled and his face is flushed a pretty hue of red as he waits for Corpse to return. 

An impatient whine slips through his pouted lips when Corpse comes to a standstill to admire him. The sound sends Corpse into an overdrive and he quickly makes his way back to his lover as he tosses the lube and condoms carelessly onto the bed. They fall into a familiar rhythm as their lips find each other again in a slower series of kisses this time.

“It’ll feel weird but just relax for me, okay? I promise it’ll get better as you get used to the feeling.”

Sykkuno lets out a small nod as Corpse uncaps the lube to drizzle a generous amount onto his fingers. He rubs the sticky liquid between his fingers to warm it up before lifting one of Sykkuno’s legs onto his shoulder with his unlubed hand. Sykkuno lets out a whimper as Corpse rubs one of his lubricated fingers against his puckering hole. The younger male has to take a deep breath to try and calm his excited heart before he places a kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead tenderly.

“Relax for me, baby.”

The wet ring of muscle is tight as he prods the tip of his finger into Sykkuno’s hole. Soft murmurs of sweet nothings echo across their dark bedroom as he peppers the brunette’s face with loving kisses. Sykkuno lets out a pained gasp when Corpse crooks his finger and the sound immediately makes him come to a halt.

“Are you okay? Should we stop?”

Sykkuno breathes in deeply as he clenches down on Corpse’s finger to keep it inside.

“Just... give me a minute.”

Corpse stays completely still as Sykkuno tries to relax. The brunette starts to roll his hips around Corpse’s finger after a few more deep breathes and the moan that escapes Sykkuno’s mouth this time is one of pure bliss. Corpse has to bite down on his other arm as he tries to control his rapidly building excitement.

“Can I add another finger?”

The demi-god’s eyes are teary when he opens them to look up at his boyfriend. He answers the question with a shaky nod and Corpse’s voice is soft as he brushes a chaste kiss against Sykkuno’s cheek.

“I need to hear you say it Kkuno.”

Sykkuno exhales shakily as he tries to find his voice.

“I’m ready.”

Corpse slowly inserts his middle finger in besides his index finger and Sykkuno starts to tighten up again against the intrusion. Their heavy breathing fills the air as Corpse waits for his boyfriend to adjust to the stretch. Corpse takes the lead this time when Sykkuno starts to roll his hips back onto his fingers.

A moan rings out through the dim bedroom as Corpse pulls out his fingers until only the tips remain before thrusting them back in with one smooth motion. He starts off slowly before speeding up to an almost brutal pace that has the brunette pleading for mercy. A choked off cry falls out of Sykkuno’s mouth as Corpse curls his fingers to brush against his prostate.

“Don’t- Not there- Please-”

Half broken pleas continue to spill out from those sinfully red lips as Corpse aims straight at his prostate with each thrust of his fingers. Corpse aims a particularly hard thrust at his weak spot and Sykkuno sees stars as he cums with a scream. 

“You’re so beautiful.”

Corpse pulls out his fingers to untie Sykkuno’s kimono and the stained fabric glides off of his boyfriend easily to reveal a beautiful span of unblemished skin. Sykkuno whines from the overstimulation as Corpse shifts him onto his front. 

“We’re far from done yet baby.”

His deep voice sends vibrations down the demi-god’s spine as Corpse licks at his ear. Sykkuno screams into the pillow as Corpse inserts three fingers into him without warning. Corpse’s pace is much faster now and embarrassing sounds echo loudly across the whole room as Corpse fingers him open thoroughly. Sykkuno turns his head around to look at his boyfriend with big doe eyes and Corpse slows down his thrusting as the older male beckons him closer.

“I can’t see you like this. Flip me over.”

Something feral breaks in Corpse as he pulls the other up into his embrace. Their heart beats become one as Sykkuno leans his head back over Corpse’s shoulder to press his back flush against Corpse’s chest. The musician’s slender fingers find Sykkuno’s perky nipples and he tugs on them with a pinch as he rubs his leaking cock against the puckering hole clenching on nothing. Sykkuno opens his eyes with an almost angry pout when Corpse moves back a little to reach for the condom.

“I-”

Sykkuno’s shy tone has Corpse stopping in his tracks immediately. He nuzzles their cheeks together as he waits for his boyfriend to find his words.

“Can we not use a condom?”

~~Corpse is going to die tonight for sure.~~

“Sykkuno, are you sure?”

The brunette nods as a newfound determination sparks to life in his eyes.

“I know I’m clean and I trust that you are too. It should be fine, right? Besides-”

Corpse nearly stops breathing as Sykkuno turns around to whisper in his ear.

“ _I want to feel all of you.”_

Sykkuno’s giggles are drowned out by Corpse’s deep growl as he manhandles the shorter male to push him down onto the bed roughly.

“Are you trying to kill me Sykkuno?”

The lube feels too cold against his leaking erection and Corpse quickly pumps himself a few times before positioning the head of his cock against Sykkuno’s pink entrance. Sykkuno arches off the bed in a silent scream as Corpse pushes in slowly, inch by agonising inch, and the younger male lets out a groan as he finally bottoms out.

“You’re so tight.”

Corpse can feel every twitch of Sykkuno’s body around his cock and he tightens his hold on his boyfriend’s waist as he waits impatiently for him to adjust. Sykkuno lets out a pleasure filled moan when he rolls his hips tentatively. Corpse takes the sound as his green light to start moving and a high pitched scream pierces through the night as Corpse pulls out completely before slamming back with a dead aim at the demi-god’s prostate. Sykkuno’s nails leave a collection of angry red scratches on Corpse’s back as the younger male slams into his stretched hole over and over again at a brutal pace.

“I’m close-”

The pale skin of Sykkuno’s thighs mesmerise Corpse as he pulls the shorter male roughly onto his cock. Sykkuno lets out a cry as Corpse sinks his teeth into the tender skin of his thigh with a deep growl. The taller male laps at the little drops of blood with kitten licks and the sweet taste of the red liquid surprises him pleasantly.

~~Is everything about Sykkuno sweet?~~

The brunette’s nails dig hard into Corpse’s shoulders as white ropes of cum spurt out between their naked torsos. Sykkuno clenches down on Corpse’s painfully hard cock as the latter milks him through his orgasm. Corpse lets out a grunt as he spills his seed into the demi-god after two more hard thrusts. He continues to move his hips with shallow thrusts as Sykkuno falls limp in his arms. Corpse is stopped by a protesting whine when he tries to pull out from Sykkuno’s swollen hole.

“Please... stay... longer...”

Sykkuno words are slurred as he tries to come down from his post orgasm high. Corpse bites down on his tongue as he feels his cock give an excited twitch at the broken string of words. They stay tangled together in a mess of limbs on the sticky sheets until Sykkuno’s breathing starts to even out.

“Sykkuno, we have to clean you out or else you’ll get sick.”

Corpse brushes back a strand of hair from his boyfriend’s eyes with a tender smile when Sykkuno merely lets out a sleepy whine. 

“Come on sweetheart, I’ll be quick and then we can sleep.”

A mess of semen and lube leak out of Sykkuno when Corpse pulls out. The musician grimaces as a little bit of guilt climbs into his heart for being too rough towards the end. Sykkuno opens his eyes sleepily when he senses his boyfriend’s distress and the sight of his wet hole makes him let out an embarrassed sound.

“Sorry-”

He sits up with a wince as he pushes a finger to Corpse’s lips to silence him.

“Don’t. I enjoyed it.”

Corpse studies his face for a moment before his tongue darts out to lick at the pad of Sykkuno’s finger. The older male pulls back with a small shriek before hitting him gently on the chest.

“I was trying to have a moment there!”

The sound of Corpse’s giggle brings a smile to his face as his playful scolding falls quiet.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.”

~

Corpse finds himself in a huge dilemma fifteen minutes later.

He lets out a curse as the warm water continues to rain down on them in the shower. Sykkuno had gotten aroused by Corpse’s fingers whilst the younger male had tried to clean him out and now he’s throwing a mini tantrum because the rational side of Corpse knows the demi-god won’t be able to walk tomorrow if they keep going.

“We can’t. It’s swollen Sykkuno.”

The shorter male lets out a whimper when Corpse presses gently down on his hole. Sykkuno lets out an unhappy whine at his boyfriend’s reasoning and Corpse groans as the brunette looks up at him with big doe eyes and a pout.

“You’re playing dirty Kkuno.”

Sykkuno cocks his head to the side in mock innocence as he runs his fingers lightly across Corpse’s leaking cock.

“ _Why are you holding back when you want me too?_ ”

The demi-god’s voice is sultry as he leans forward to whisper into Corpse’s ear. ~~Sykkuno knows exactly what he’s doing and is making Corpse suffer a life crisis before thirty.~~

All rationality flies out of the window as Corpse pushes Sykkuno against the shower’s wall. Sykkuno mewls when his swollen nipples make contact with the cold tiles and Corpse responds with a growl as he pushes them flush together.

“Close your legs together.”

The demi-god lets out a confused sound but he obediently does as he’s told anyways. A high pitched moan echoes across the steam-filled bathroom when Corpse thrusts his erection roughly between the brunette’s soft thighs.

~

///

Sykkuno turns bright red and refuses to meet Corpse’s eyes when they receive a plate of steaming hot purple sweet potato cakes first thing in the morning. Corpse is thoroughly confused when Mrs Okamoto and Yuna seem to be extra happy when they arrive for breakfast. 

xXx

Now for some notes cause... heh: 

_**Sakurasou flower** symbolises Desire and Long-lasting love. _

**Source:<https://www.focusviewpoint.com/2017/05/sakurasou-primula-sieboldii.html#:~:text=It%20is%20called%20Sakurasou%20because,%E2%80%9CLong%2Dlasting%20love%E2%80%9D.>**

_****Pink camellias**** symbolize a longing for someone and is given to someone who is missed._

**Source:[https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/camellia-meaning-and-symbolism#:~:text=Generally%2C%20camellia%20flowers%20symbolize%20love,having%20its%20own%20unique%20symbolism.&text=Pink%20camellias%20symbolize%20a%20longing,%2C%20passion%2C%20and%20deep%20desire.](https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/camellia-meaning-and-symbolism#:~:text=Generally%2C%20camellia%20flowers%20symbolize%20love,having%20its%20own%20unique%20symbolism.&text=Pink%20camellias%20symbolize%20a%20longing,%2C%20passion%2C%20and%20deep%20desire.)**

**_Kine and Usu_ ** _are tools used for making mochi._

**Source:<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usu_(mortar)>**

_It's apparently a Chinese(?) tradition to eat **Purple**_ **_**S** weet Potato Cakes _ ** _the morning after consummation._

 **_Consummation_ ** _the action of making a marriage or relationship complete by having sexual intercourse._

[The above information comes from the Chinese Drama **Eternal Love of Dream ep 46** ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> This was by far the hardest chapter for me to write because wow I don't know how to write such things... um... I hope I did not disappoint... 
> 
> Kudos and comments keeps the author (me!) happy and sane! 
> 
> Thank you all for your love and support! 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of male pregnancy but not really... 
> 
> I hope this chapter doesn't offend anyone or hurt anyone. I will be adding/changing tags for safety sake but this chapter is meant to be for humourous purposes only! 
> 
> Enjoy~

Yuna eyes Sykkuno wearily as the brunette struggles to swallow the spoonful of plain congee. The demi-god has been struggling to eat anything without vomiting it back out for about two weeks now and she’s seriously starting to get worried. The celebrations of the New Year had just finished after two long months of celebration and the mountains are finally peaceful again.

Sykkuno’s mother is watching her son with an unreadable expression as he drags his spoon through the food in his bowl with a look of disgust. Yuna and Sykkuno both watch with confusion as Sykkuno’s mother gestures for Mrs Okamoto to go to her. They exchange a short conversation of hushed whispers before both of them pull back to look at Sykkuno with an evil grin.

“Congratulations dear.”

What?

_What?_

**_What?_ **

The spoon hits the table with a thud and Yuna barely manages to catch Sykkuno as he falls back to lean against the tatami in shock.

“Congratulations?”

Yuna turns to look at the two older females but they remain silent as their grins widen slowly.

**

Corpse starts to panic a little when Sykkuno remains despondent by his side.

What the hell happened at lunch?

Sykkuno had left with a smile this morning to his monthly lunch date with his mother and Corpse was very surprised when he received a call from Yuna half an hour after lunch time. She had been super vague in her call and he had rushed to leave the house after they said their goodbyes. Now Yuna, Sykkuno’s mother and Mrs Okamoto are having some or other serious discussion in the adjacent room as Sykkuno leans weakly against him whilst they waited.

“Is that even possible?”

Yuna’s voice sounds highly sceptical and Corpse tightens his hold on Sykkuno’s hand as the older male lets out a shaky breath.

“If the Yin and Yang in his body fuse correctly then it will be.”

Sykkuno’s mother sounds very happy and Corpse can hear the smile in her voice as their muffled conversation floats in from the other room.

“Is it because of the kamis’ energies?”

Corpse’s body should be clean from all of Izanami’s soul now though.

“Possibly – we might be the first to experience such a miracle.”

A tense silence falls across the place and Corpse looks up slowly as the door slides open. Yuna looks conflicted as her eyes land on the couple.

“Can you please tell me what’s happening now?”

Yuna closes the door softly as the two older women begin another hushed conversation. She slides down onto the floor gracefully as her eyes trail out the window.

“I don’t know how to say this but...”

Corpse nearly flinches when she turns back to look at them with a heavy stare.

“Sykkuno might be pregnant.”

Um... what?

“What do you mean...?”

Yuna lets out a sigh as she pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Apparently the Yin energy from Izanagi and the Yang energy from Izanami might have fused when you guys... um... and yeah that somehow created life? I don’t know.”

Corpse has never seen Yuna confused before. She was always so sure of everything.

“We’re having a child?”

Corpse looks down at Sykkuno and the older male looks up slowly after a beat. His hand had been unconsciously rubbing his stomach the whole time and the action warms Corpse’s heart. The door opens again and they all look up as Sykkuno’s mother walks in.

“We might have miscalculated.”

Yuna stands up with an angry sound.

“What do you mean _miscalculated_?”

Sykkuno’s mother lets out a small laugh as her eyes trail to her son.

“It seems he might be giving birth to Izanagi in a few more weeks. The kami is finally recovered and ready to leave his body.”

Sykkuno stands up after hearing the news with wide eyes.

“He’s leaving?”

His mother takes his hand into hers with a small smile.

“He is.”

The next few days go by in a blur as they prepare for Izanagi’s detachment.

“You won’t be giving normal birth per se – more like we’ll be detaching your souls. It’ll be just as painful but the most experienced healers and Ikaishis will be here to handle the process so there's nothing to worry about at all.”

Mrs Okamoto was and still is the best healer in the mortal realm and her presence, alongside Lynne’s, serves as good enough reassurance for Corpse. The process takes a painful four hours as they try to pull out the kami’s soul without killing Sykkuno. Corpse’s hand is numb and unfeeling from all the squeezing by the time Izanagi’s soul – which is apparently a golden ball of powerful energy – gets taken by Sykkuno’s father to the shrine. The former demi-god is currently unconscious as a group of midwives clean up the mess of towels and equipment.

Yuna visits Sykkuno’s bedroom a few hours later and Corpse offers her a small thanks as she sets down a large tray of food onto the living room table.

“Erm... congrats?”

Corpse places a kiss on his still sleeping boyfriend’s forehead before walking over to the tray of food with a scoff directed at Yuna. They spend the next few days nurturing Sykkuno’s health back after the massive drain of energy by forcing him to eat more than he ever has in his entire life. The golden ball had grown for a few days until Izanagi appeared from between its blinding rays about a week later. The god had thanked the family and Sykkuno for all their efforts and blessed them with one of his highest blessings before returning to the spirit realm.

The estate is finally peaceful again after a few more weeks of admin and Corpse finally feels the stress leaving his body as they settle down for dinner with Sykkuno’s mother before they depart back into the city the next morning. Everything had been going well until Sykkuno’s mother suddenly stopped eating halfway through the mostly silent meal.

“Mother?”

Sykkuno’s voice comes out quietly, unsure of what bomb she would drop now, as he stops eating as well.

“Sykkuno you know I won’t be alive forever.”

Corpse tenses up as she lets out a dramatic sigh.

“And you’re never home often enough.”

Ohnonononononononononono....

“It would be nice if there was someone to keep me company whilst you carry on with your career in the big city.”

The couple stares helplessly at her as she sniffles a little for added effect.

“And since we know that it’s possible between two powerful Ikaishis...”

Sykkuno stands up abruptly and she looks up with feigned surprise.

“I still have to pack. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning. Please excuse us. I’ll visit you more often.”

The string of short statements rushes out of Sykkuno's mouth and he reaches across the table to grab Corpse’s hand quickly before pulling the younger male out of the room. His mother’s laughter echoes lightly like wind chimes across the estate as she watches her flustered son and his boyfriend leave in a rush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> We have reached the end! Thank you all for your support once again! 
> 
> Reminder that Sykkuno and Corpse are real people and should they ask for the removal of this fanfiction I will delete it. We should prioritise them and their emotions above all else! 
> 
> Don't send fanfiction to them or anyone else tagged and don't ship people too far!  
> This fanfiction is based on their brilliant chemistry and their beautiful relationship (friendship) dynamics! 
> 
> That's all folks ! 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan


End file.
